Pokemon Divine Legacy Book 8: Stone Cold Warlords
by Maximus Prime 802
Summary: The war of the gods is over, but a new adventure is about to begin. Ash and his friends must cross the Ransei Region to unlock an ancient power to restore Dawn's aura, which has left her mute. Unaware that at the same time a new dark force has awakened called Team Phantom and they are bent on finishing what Giratina started, the destruction of the Pokémon World
1. Deoxys

A week ago, a battle like no other, one fought between four gods and lasted a year, had come to its end. The daughter of the Original One vanquished the lord of the void, uniting the powers of time, space and creation and unleashing its awesome power in one devastating Triple Finish, wiping the dark one from the plain of existence and making him one with the universe. Although the Original One's daughter made her own sacrifices to see her destiny through.

The world spent the last week, revelling in their newfound freedom, enjoying its peace. No matter the peace, there was much to rebuild. After all, their battle nearly tore the Pokémon World apart. Regions put their differences aside to help each other recover from what some have referred to as the Year of Judgment.

Months ago, the arctic shelf was one of the plethora of settings for the gods battle. It was however, one of the places to recover the quickest. Not long after the gods left, the winds and freezing cold temperatures healed the wounds their battles. The arctic resumed its silent, mysterious and elegant wonder.

This silence did not last. Within seconds, a flash of blinding light would drive any Pokémon there away. Once the purple light dissipated, it revealed a very strange Pokémon. It had a red humanoid body with a blue mouth less face, four red and blue tentacles in place of its arms and a purple crystal in its chest. There was no other Pokémon like it on Earth, because it didn't come from Earth, and its name was Deoxys.

Deoxys began levitating around the icy surface of the arctic. The DNA Pokémon was searching for an invisible force, any trace of the dark monster who battled gods here months prior. Every movement Deoxys made was being monitored.

A satellite probe hovered a kilometre above the extraterrestrial Pokémon. The satellite sent video footage to those who created it and sent it after Deoxys, Team Genetic.

At Team Genetic's base, the satellite's feed was being broadcasted on a massive television screen. Dozens of computer analysts sat at computer desks, controlling the different features of the satellite. At the far opposite side of the room, Agent Fredrick Johnson commanded his underlings.

"Deoxys is currently searching for traces of the Renegade Pokémon." One analyst reported to the superior officer.

"Keep following it" Johnson commanded, "It's bound to find something."

Deoxys stood in one place, scanning the environment continually. There was nothing in the quadrant it was standing in and levitated away. Unaware that the shadow that hung below it, wasn't its own.

Lunging from the mysterious shadow and striking Deoxys in the chest, was a Pokémon who once served the lord of the void, the Pitch Black Pokémon Darkrai. Darkrai swung his fist forward, striking Deoxys and sending the Pokémon tumbling to the ground.

The Pokémon master of fear's body was littered with scars and he kept one eye closed due to injury. It was clear that these were sustained when the Ultimate Pokémon Master threw him into a polarity pillar. By diving into his own shadow, the Pitch Black Pokémon avoided death, however the force of the gravity was still enough to injure the Pokémon gravely. Though a year had passed since that bloody battle, Darkrai's wounds had yet to heal. This still did not hamper his rage against those two eradicated his master. Blinded by his rage, Darkrai attacked Deoxys.

The two Pokémon engaged in a furious battle, unaware that Darkrai was being watched. A second satellite probe was monitoring Darkrai. This probe belonged to the mysterious Team Phantom. The new crime gang watched Darkrai's actions in a room almost exact to that of Team Genetic's. However, this time there were two (Both women) standing in the back of the room monitoring the computer analysts.

The first of the two seemed to be in her late 30's. She had long purple hair, a black trench coat, a red shirt and grey skinny jeans. Her face and body structure looked almost exactly like Team Galactic's former leader Sird and bore her counterpart's cruelty and savagery in her face.

The second of the two was much younger, 20 years old. She had green hair done in a zigzag pony tail. She wore a grey sleeveless shirt, with black and grey shorts, fingerless gloves and knee high boots. The expression on her face did not show any kind of cruelty or hatred, only worry and fear.

"Empress Neera, Darkrai has engaged in battle with Deoxys" One analyst addressed the elder of the two women, "Should we interfere?"

Neera said nothing as she stood in her place, contemplating what decision she should make. After a few seconds without a response, the green haired girl spoke to her leader.

"My queen, if we do nothing then Darkrai could suffer fatal wounds. Should we interfere?" The girl asked.

"We will do nothing Mitsumi." Neera ordered, "But stand by, observe the battle."

Darkrai threw a Shadow Ball at Deoxys. The DNA Pokémon knew it couldn't evade such a fast moving attack, so it changed its form. In a flash of bright light, Deoxys' form had morphed. Its head fused to its body, its body became more bulky and its four tentacles flattened to become more like fins. This form as known by scientists as Deoxys' Defense form.

The Shadow Ball was inches away from Deoxys when the DNA Pokémon called upon its move Protect and generated a purple force field around itself. The Shadow Ball struck the force field and dissipated. Once the force field disabled, Deoxys reverted to its original (or normal form) before changing form again.

This time three spikes jutted from its head, its chest turned black with red stripes and blue spikes came out of its knees. This did not go unnoticed by the members of Team Genetic watching the battle.

"Deoxys has changed into its Attack form sir." A female analyst informed Agent Johnson.

"Now Deoxys is taking the battle seriously." Johnson commented to himself.

Deoxys flew into the air and fired a blast of black lightning from the crystal in its chest. The move was known as Night Shade. Darkrai descended into his own shadow and evaded the attack. Darkrai's shadow moved underneath and behind Deoxys. Once behind Deoxys, Darkrai threw another Shadow Ball attack, this struck Deoxys in its back and sent it falling to the ground.

Deoxys turned around after getting back to its feet and fired another Night Shade attack. Darkrai once more dived into his shadow and began dancing around the ground, moving closer to Deoxys. Once Darkrai judged that his shadow was close enough, he lifted himself out of the shadow dimension. Only a few inches away, Darkrai fired a Dark Pulse attack and pushed Deoxys to the ground and blew its two left tentacles off.

The DNA Pokémon got back to its feet and used its Recover to regenerate its lost limbs before re-entering the battle. After just two attacks, Deoxys learned its opponent's tactic. Darkrai was wounded and wanted to avoid getting hurt, so he would retreat into his shadow before and after attacking Deoxys. The Pitch Black Pokémon also stayed close to his shadow for an easier retreat. The DNA Pokémon reached the conclusion that if he wanted to defeat Darkrai, he had to outrace him to his shadow.

As Darkrai began lowering his hovering body towards his shadow, Deoxys changed its form again. Its body and legs turned a black color and became sleek and aerodynamic, its cranium expanded back and its four tentacles were replaced with two. This did not go unnoticed by both Team Genetic and Team Phantom.

"Deoxys has shifted forms again sir, it's morphed into its Speed form." An analyst informed Johnson.

"You've figured out Darkrai's strategy." Johnson said to himself, "Good work."

It was a different matter in Team Phantom's base. The excitement of Team Genetic's analyst was replaced by fear in Team Phantom's analysts.

"Empress, Deoxys has deduced Darkrai's method!" A Team Phantom analyst warned their leader.

"We must interfere now!" Another analyst pleaded with her superior.

"Not yet." Neera said calmly.

As Darkrai slowly began entering his shadow, Deoxys went into motion. In the blink of an eye, the DNA Pokémon was behind Darkrai. The alien creature wrapped its two tentacles around Darkrai's waist, pulled the Pitch Black Pokémon out of his shadow and pitched him into the air.

Once Darkrai was in the right position as he fell, Deoxys reverted to its Attack form and prepared to attack again. The DNA Pokémon brought its four tentacles close together and a green sphere of energy formed between them. This attack was known as Deoxys' signature move, Psycho Boost. Although this move flew through the air slowly, Deoxys calculated when to fire it so that it could strike Darkrai at the optimal spot.

When the moment was right, Deoxys fired his Psycho Boost. The attack struck Darkrai dead centre in his chest and sent the Pitch Black Pokémon flying through the air and into a glacier in the distance. The phantom Pokémon struck the glacier with enough force that it crumbled to pieces upon impact.

With its enemy defeated and no trace of its quarry, Deoxys changed into its normal form and took flight, leaving the arctic shelf silent once more. Team Phantom's base was alive with panic however.

"We've lost contact with Darkrai!" A female analyst informed Neera in a panicked voice.

"Then he's dead." Mitsumi inferred.

"No, he's not." Neera said calmly as she put her hand on her subordinates shoulder, "Mitsumi, send a team to the shelf to find him."

"Am I to accompany them?" Mitsumi questioned obediently.

"No, I have another job for you" Neera ordered, "You are to take a strike team to find God's heir."

Her commands given, Mitsumi left her leader's side to spread her commands to the troops. Although she was dissatisfied with her orders. Being Neera's only first lieutenant, she was the only one who knew about her leader's master plan, and what horrors it would bring.

After waiting a few seconds, Neera too departed the room. She was aware that Mitsumi was unhappy with Neera's plan, but did not care. As long as she was willing to obey her leader, then she would keep her lieutenant alive. However, the time had come to find more to command her soldiers other than Mitsumi, and if they proved more obedient, then Mitsumi would not be needed.

Once she was alone in the dark halls of Team Phantom's headquarters, she put her hands on her chest and whispered to herself.

"I will fulfill your destiny, Giratina."


	2. Celestial Stones

**May's Log entry 6:**

_After a year in the ancient times, training with the Guardian Priestess', Dawn came back and defeated Giratina, sacrificing her life to destroy him. Luckily, Arceus brought her back to life, but she was missing her normal aura, which meant she couldn't speak anymore. Red and Ash (who just discovered that they're half brothers) think that a small coin Dawn was given by the Guardian Priestess and a vision I had, could solve the riddle to finding her voice again._

Dawn sat on her couch at home, holding Piplup in her arms. She was not heartbroken or disappointed so much as she was dissatisfied. Although she had vanquished Giratina and cheated death, she lost her voice in the process. She knew what this meant, she couldn't command her Pokémon and that meant her life as a Coordinator was over.

Normally, a revelation like this would make Dawn cry uncontrollably. But after her adventures, after facing a journey through time, after facing down Giratina, she understood that being a coordinator was not the most important thing to her. All the ribbons, all the Grand Festival Ribbon cups, they would mean nothing to her if she didn't have her friends and family. They have always been there to guide her, protect her and believe in her. If she didn't have them beside her, she would be nothing.

Curious of what her Pokémon was thinking, Dawn put her hand on Piplup's head and focused her powers. Now there was nothing left but to listen.

"_Dawn, I know you're scared" _ Piplup communicated, _"I am too, but don't worry. We'll get your voice back, and we'll do it together. I know that Red's going to find a way. Even if you can never speak again, you'll always be my best friend."_

Dawn was overcome with joy, as she pulled Piplup closer and hugged her little Pokémon tight in her arms. She could not have asked for a better Pokémon or friends.

Johanna walked over to Dawn holding a cup of tea. Dawn's mother put the tea on the table and sat next to Dawn. The veteran Coordinator put her arm around her child's shoulders. On instinct, Dawn put her head on her mother's shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" Johanna asked, repeating Red's question from days before. Dawn gave her the same response she gave Red, a thumbs up. Johanna paused for a short time period, before speaking again.

"Dawn, I am so sorry about what happened to your voice. If I had told you the truth about your father when you were young, then maybe none of this would've happened. Not a day went by when you were gone that I didn't pray that you could come home so I could tell you how much I love you."

Before Johanna could say anything, Dawn lowered Piplup to the ground and wrapped her arms around her mother's waist. The young priestess pushed her face into her mother's chest as a sign that she wanted to be close to her again. This was a universal sign that Dawn forgave Johanna and was happy to see her again.

Red's house was a flurry of activity. For the week that he and the other Trainers were in Twinleaf Town, they had been at work trying to decipher the riddle of the coin given to Dawn and in turn to Red. Gary was at Red's computer researching the origins of the symbols on the coin, while Red, May and Ash paced impatiently behind him and Brock sat on Red's bed thinking.

"Have you found anything yet Gary?" Ash asked in an impatient voice.

"I would if someone stopped pestering me!" Gary shouted back. Before the two boys from Pallet Town could argue anymore, Lyra stepped in wearing her Pokémon Ranger uniform.

"Well guys I have good news." Lyra began cheerfully, "The Griseous Orb has been confiscated by the Pokémon Rangers and top men are working on it right now."

"Who?" Red asked. He knew the power of the Griseous Orb and wanted to ensure it was being handled with care. Lyra gave him a very serious look before answering him again.

"Top men."

Her expression then became curious and with mild worry as she looked to Gary and asked him another question.

"How goes the search?"

"I've got nothing!" Gary shouted in aggravation, "If we had something other than the coin then I could find something! One would think that Arceus would've helped out somewhat since Dawn's his daughter!"

When Gary mentioned Arceus' name, Red was reminded of the fateful day at Spear Pillar. Before Arceus departed after Giratina's death he said, _Look to the Ransei_. Red jumped forward beside Gary's seat and began commanding him.

"Gary, bring up a map of the Ransei Region!"

Gary went onto the search engine and looked up an image of the Ransei Region. To everyone's surprise, it was in the shape of the god Pokémon.

"Now bring up the image from the back of the coin and overlay it on the map!" Red instructed.

"What're you planning Red?" Brock asked.

"I have an assumption that needs to be confirmed" Red explained.

Gary did as the Pokémon Master commanded and brought the silhouette of Arceus that was on the coin, over the Ransei Region. The results were staggering to the five Trainers.

"It matches my vision exactly." May commented.

"The dots are different locations in the region!" Ash noticed out loud.

"But where are they pointing too?" Gary asked.

"Let me find out" Brock said as he pulled his PokéNav out of his bag and began analysing a digital map of the Ransei Region. Before he could find what he was looking for a familiar voice answered him.

"It's where the ruins of the Ransei Region's eight celestial kingdoms are."

All heads turned to the entrance to Red's room, where Ash and Red's father (Kageshi Tajiri) was standing. Red and Ash's hatred and disgust with their father ended after he aided in the defeat of Giratina and when they understood the long and painful life he had led.

"What're you talking about?" Ash asked as he walked over to his father.

"It's quite a long story son." Kageshi explained.

"We've got time." Red commented, urging his father to explain. Kageshi took a seat on Red's bed and began to explain what he was referring to.

"Long before the Platinum Wars, Arceus tasked the Sacred Knights with going to the Sinjoh Ruins and uniting their aura powers to create eight powerful stones called the Celestial Stones. Arceus then told the Sacred Knights to bestow the stones onto the eight warlords of the Ransei Region that he saw most fit. For generations the eight warlords lived in harmony, until the power the stones corrupted them and war broke out. In the aftermath, they destroyed each other and the stones were lost in the ruins of the kingdoms."

"What can these stones do?" Ash asked as Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and onto a shelf above Red's bed.

"Stories say that the Celestial Stones hold great aura powers" Kageshi explained, "When brought together in the Sinjoh Ruins they can do anything from alter aura, to manipulate it, or even restore mortal aura."

"Mortal aura." May repeated, "As opposed to the divine aura of a Guardian Priestess?"

"Correct." Kageshi answered. Red was then struck with another revelation, the reason why Arceus created the stones in the first place had led up to this moment.

"The same mortal aura that Dawn lost when she came back to life." Red added.

"So that means..." May began.

"If we can find these stones and bring them to the Sinjoh Ruins, then we can restore Dane's voice!" Lyra concluded.

"So this is what you will do my sons?" Kageshi asked, "Only a week after battling gods for a year without rest, you plan to go out there again and risk your lives?"

"It's what's necessary" Red answered, "For Dawn's sake."

"It's our last chance to help her." Brock explained.

Kageshi paused. He wanted his boys to be safe after enduring a living hell. But they were their father's sons, and that meant they had his stubbornness. Nothing was going to stop them when they had an idea.

"Then I won't stop any of you." Kageshi responded, "Be safe, your mothers worry and so do I."


	3. Magical Night

The night had begun, the sun had just set and the beautiful stars filled the sky. Dawn sat on her bed, once again holding Piplup in her arms as she looked up at the sky. The young priestess wanted to know what her Pokémon friend was thinking and put her hand on Piplup's head to hear its thoughts.

_"It's such a peaceful night"_ Piplup commented,_ "Something about it seems more soothing after everything we've been through. I'm surprised you wouldn't want to be with Red tonight."_

Dawn immediately took her hand off Piplup's head. She was obviously embarrassed by what her Pokémon had to say. She had very mixed feelings about Red. She felt attracted to him, but she knew that he once found love in Leaf and then he lost her. She didn't want Red to forget about the feelings he once had for Leaf and so did her best not to get close to Red, thus preventing her feelings for him from getting any stronger.

May then stepped into Dawn's room and interrupted her staring into the night sky.

"I have some good news Dawn" May proclaimed, "Red has found a way to get your voice back!"

Overcome by joy, Dawn jumped out of bed, ran over to May and began shaking her hand. After a few seconds of rigorous shaking, Dawn stepped back a few feet. May's awkward feelings subsided quickly and she continued explaining.

"Red wanted me to ask you if you wanted to come with us" May explained, "He said that it could be extremely dangerous and without a way to command your Pokémon, the danger could be all the more serious."

Dawn thought about for a few seconds before reaching her answer. She nodded to May, signifying that she was in fact, ready to go on another adventure.

"That's great to hear Dawn" May complimented, "Even after our battle against Giratina you still want to keep fighting."

With the decision made, May left Dawn's room and left the young Priestess to slumber in peace.

Like Dawn, Red stood at the edge of his window, looking out through it. But his gaze wasn't on the sky, it was on the window of Dawn's room. Red watched with comfort and relief as Dawn climbed into her bed, pulled the covers over herself and Piplup, and silently drifted into a deep and peaceful sleep.

"You're finally home again Dawn" Red whispered as not to wake his sleeping Pokémon around him, "I just wish that all of you was here to enjoy it."

Ash then entered his half brother's room. Like May, the Trainer from Pallet Town had great news to tell the Pokémon Master.

"Well, I just got a call from Misty, Dawn wants to come with us to the Ransei Region." Ash informed Red.

Red was obviously unhappy by this, if his exasperated sigh was not enough to reveal it. How could Dawn be throwing herself into such a dangerous situation? Especially after she died. Whether it was for a few seconds or a few hours, Dawn still died and in Red's arms. He never wanted her to go through that agony ever again, but this was quite difficult if she did not cooperate.

"How can Dawn be doing this again?" Red asked rhetorically, "She's been through more than any of us. So why does she still insist on taking these risks?"

"Don't forget Red, this is her voice." Ash reminded his brother, "I know you want to protect her, but you have to give her room to make her own choices, besides Dawn can handle herself."

"I suppose you're right" Red concluded, "I just want her to be safe."

"She will be, I know it." Ash offered. He wished Red a good night before departing his room and walking down the hall. Interesting to Red, was that Ash was walking down the hall, in the opposite direction of the guest room that he and Kageshi were staying in.

Ash silently walked down the stairs and out the doors to the front porch. Misty, was sitting on the comfortably soft bench. She began patting a large space on the bench. Ash understood what it meant clearly and went to sit next to her. Misty put her head on Ash's shoulder and took his hand in hers.

The two young lovers looked into the elegant star lit sky, breathing in the fresh air of the small town in the Sinnoh Region, listening to the sounds of the small Pokémon chirping and singing in the night.

"Everything just seems so peaceful for some reason." Misty commented, "Is it a bad if I think this it's because Giratina's dead?"

"Of course it isn't Misty." Ash assured as he put his arm around her shoulder, "I just can't believe that he's dead. I mean three years ago we didn't even know he existed and now that he's gone I just have this empty feeling."

"Do you really think he's gone?" Misty asked as she moved closer to Ash.

"I know he is" Ash reassured, "We're finally safe."

"Then what's going to happen to us?" Misty asked her lover.

"What do you mean?" Ash was clearly unsure of her question.

"I mean, awakening Arceus and defeating Giratina was the only thing that kept us together before" Misty explained, "Now, getting Dawn's voice back is the only thing keeping the group together. What's going to happen to us after she gets her voice back?"

"Come on Misty, we're friends, it can't take protecting humanity to keep us together" Ash offered, "There's a world out there for us to explore, filled with great Pokémon. We should share that kind of excitement as friends. Just imagine it Misty, you and me and Pokémon."

Ash looked around at all the beauty around him. The beautiful sky, the beautiful sounds and the beautiful girl next to him. Motivated by the beauty around him, Ash began singing.

_The magic feeling, it's growing so strong,  
Always leads me to a place where I belong.  
Won't go away, never let me down,  
I've got the greatest friends that ever could be found._

_Across every river, behind every tree,  
On top of every mountain, they're a part of you and me!_

_One world - now and forever!  
Best friends, loyal and true!  
One dream, put side by side,  
There's nothing we can't do!_

_One hand, helping the other!  
Each heart, beating as one!  
We live, always together,  
Sharing the same bright sun!  
You & Me & Pokémon!_

_They rush like water, they soar like the wind,  
They're always with me every day that I begin.  
They burn like fire, they chill like ice,  
They take on any challenge, make any sacrifice._

_Across every river, behind every tree,  
On top of every mountain, they're a part of you and me!_

_One world - now and forever!  
Best friends, loyal and true!  
One dream, put side by side,  
There's nothing we can't do!_

_One hand helping the other!  
Each heart beating as one!  
We live, always together,  
Sharing the same bright sun!_

_You & me & Pokémon!_

_One world...  
Best friends, loyal and true...  
Just one dream...  
There's nothing that we can't do!_

_One world - now and forever!  
Best friends, loyal and true!  
One dream that side by side,  
There's nothing we can't do!_

_One hand helping the other!  
Each heart beating as one!  
We live always together,  
Sharing the same bright sun!_

_You & me & Pokémon!_


	4. Director Hayden

Cynthia and her grandmother, Professor Carolina, sat in an office, opposite to a refurbished Oakwood desk with a large television screen embedded in the wall behind them. The science fiction posters and comic books on the shelf lifted Cynthia's rising fears for their unknown soon to be interrogator, Director Hayden of Team Genetic.

The door swung open behind them, both Cynthia and Carolina looked with worried looks on their faces. Who came through the door was a male figure they did not expect.

"Professor Carolina, Ms. Cynthia, I am Director Hayden of Team Genetic."

It was not his combed hair, shifty brown eyes, black suit or thin glasses that lightened the two women's mood, it was his age. The expected a man and came a boy in his place, approximately eleven years old. Calm and maturely, Director Hayden walked over the desk, sat at the seat and stared at the women he sat across from. It was clear that they were trying to hold back laughing as tears were in their eyes and their cheeks were turning red from expanding.

"You two find something amusing?" Hayden asked with an edge in his voice.

"It's nothing, but aren't you too short to be a government team leader?" Carolina joked. In a split second, Team Genetic's leader's mood changed from calm and collected to raving like an anime maniac.

"How dare you call me a puny little munchkin!" Director Hayden jumped onto his desk and began waving his arms in the air like a psychopath.

"I didn't say anything like that?" Carolina responded soothingly, with a sense of awkwardness due to the boy's maniac actions. Hayden quickly realized how he was behaving and ceased his deranged rambling. Team Genetic's leader quietly climbed back into his seat.

"Sorry about that" Hayden commented before getting into their meeting, "Now, over the course of the last year, there were several reports of three Pokémon fighting against one Pokémon. At first we thought nothing of these reports until one of our satellite probes over the arctic shelf took this image."

Director Hayden took a remote control off his desk before turning to face the TV behind him. He pushed a button on the remote and the TV turned on. Immediately after being activated, the screen showed an image of the arctic shelf engulfed in fire and smoke. In the midst of this image were four blurs with different colours, the first was blue, another was pink, the smallest was a mixture of gold and white, the last and largest was grey and black with a dash of yellow.

"We have reason to believe that these are four Pokémon that the ancient world revered as gods" Hayden explained, "You two are the top minds in the world on this subject and we could use your assistance in understanding their motives."

Cynthia did not trust any group whose name started with 'Team', and neither did her grandmother. If they knew that those Pokémon were in fact the gods, then it would stand to reason that they would try to capture them, with the exception of the deceased one. In a desperate attempt to protect the Pokémon, Cynthia began making false accusations.

"Maybe your satellite was glitching, because I can't think of any reason for Arceus or the Creation trio to come to Earth."

Hayden pressed another button on the remote. The screen zoomed in on the grey and black blur. The resolution improved greatly to reveal in clear high definition that the blur was Giratina.

"That's quite the glitch" Hayden said humorously before turning serious, "Cynthia I promise you that we are a certified government agency. If you would like, you can call the Parliament right now and ask them."

Cynthia was still hesitant to explain anything to the leader of Team Genetic. Carolina was there however to calm her granddaughter's nerves. Slowly, Carolina took Cynthia's hand and looked her child in the eyes.

"It's alright Cynthia." Carolina soothed, "Your assumptions are correct director, they are in fact the god Pokémon, stirred into action by the Guardian Priestess."

"Guardian Priestess?" Hayden asked seeming very intrigued, "So the legends are true."

Hayden grew up on the stories of the Guardian Priestess'. He knew everything about them, their origins, their slaughter at the hands of Giratina and even the legend of the Priestess who was the child of God. To know that the mythical daughter of Arceus was real awestruck Team Genetic's leader. If she really lived, then everything he dreamed of would come true.

"Tell me more." The director instructed.


	5. Silver's Followers

Even though the sun had set and the half moon was in the night sky, it didn't mean that Viridian City slept. Some would say that night was when the city truly came alive. Like Broadway street in Manhattan, the city became engulfed in lights. The voices of people echoed up and down the streets and the sidewalks were packed with civilians.

Among these civilians was the unwilling heir to Team Rocket, Silver. The former Pokédex Keeper trudged down the sidewalk. Silver knew of the four god Pokémon whose battle raged across worlds over the year that passed. It was none of his concern whether they killed each other or not, but he knew that Red would be getting stronger if he was going after them. The Pokémon he had wouldn't cut it if Silver had any hope of defeating his old nemesis, they had to get stronger or get lost.

Silver's need to battle Red constantly was not just due to his desire for Red's title, but revenge. The disaster at Cinnabar Island cost Silver his friends as well and there was no one to blame for their death but Red. He was the one who lead them to their deaths and has replaced them with a band of misfits. He had to answer for his arrogance and short sidedness.

His moment of loathing was stopped when he got the strangest feeling, as though he was being watched. Silver looked around at the pedestrians around him. They all were going about their nightly lives. There were some, however, who did not blend into the crowd as much as they wish they did. There were five of them staring at him from behind him, they were wearing black hoodies that concealed their faces, but he could tell that two of them were female based on their open torso hoodies. Upon first glance, Silver decided to ignore them, they were bound to leave him at peace once they saw who he was. That was, until they started walking faster.

Silver began looking around frantically for a place to attack that wouldn't cause any attention. His desperate search was not out of fear, more out of annoyance. He wanted to eliminate his pursuers as soon as he could and get on with his life. Finally, he spotted a dimly lit alleyway and ran towards it. Once he entered the dark, foul smelling, damp alleyway, he turned to see if his pursuers would follow him. He was correct.

"What reason do you have to pursue me?" Silver demanded, standing firm and strong in his place.

"You are a Pokédex Keeper, tell us where your leader is!" A female hood demanded in return.

Silver looked at the pocket where his Alphadex was tucked away and noticed that it was exposed. This would've obviously caused these thugs to assume that he knew where Red was, and worse had any will to associate himself with Red.

"That name holds no meaning to me!" Silver shouted back, "Not now, not ever!"

"If you will not give us an answer" A male hood said as he and the other four grabbed PokéBalls off their belts and released a pack of Hydreigons, "Then we will beat it out of you!"

"Ursaring, attack!" Silver shouted as he released his new bearlike Pokémon from its PokéBall.

"Hydreigon use Dragon Rush!" The five hoods commanded simultaneously. Blue energy formed around the five Hydreigons as they took to the skies and charged towards Ursaring.

"Ursaring use Fire Punch!" Silver commanded. Ursaring's fists became engulfed in fire and he began swinging them at the Hydreigons.

Ursaring successfully struck two Hydreigons before the other three rammed into it. The impact from three attacks of equal power sent it tumbling to the ground. Silver said nothing, he was disappointed in his Pokémon's failure and normally would abandon it then and there, but this Ursaring was up against three powerful dragons that used powerful Dragon Type moves. One Hydreigon landed in front of a female hood and awaited further commands.

"Now kill it!" The female hood commanded. The same Hydreigon jumped forward and prepared using the move Tri Attack. The left head readied to use Overheat, the right one was preparing Thunderbolt and the centre one Hyper Beam. Silver knew that Ursaring was not going to survive this barrage of attacks and he could not lose such a strong Pokémon.

"Weavile, use Blizzard!" Silver commanded as he released his oldest Pokémon from its PokéBall. Immediately after emerging, Weavile unleashed a flurry of violent winds and freezing ice upon the five dragons from its mouth. The Ice Type attack was strong on the five Dragon Types, they eventually began succumbing to the onslaught of blistering cold. The one Hydreigon in mid flight's wings froze and it fell to the ground before it could strike Ursaring.

With their Pokémon defeated so easily, the five hoods called their Pokémon back and retreated. Silver was not ready to let his enemies escape that easily.

"Weavile use Icy Wind." Silver commanded. Weavile began using an attack similar to Blizzard but much less devastating.

The Icy Wind surrounded one of the male hoods legs and ice crystals began to form around them, seconds later his legs were consumed by ice. Thrown off balance the hooded adversary fell backward. Silver called Ursaring back to its PokéBall and ran towards his captive. Silver grabbed him by his shirt and began roughly interrogating his nemesis.

"How the hell are you?! And what do you want from Red?!"

"He protects the daughter of Arceus." The hood explained, a defiant tone in his voice, "The girl will never be restored, our time has come again! Hail Team Phantom!"

At that moment, Alakazam emerged from its PokéBall on its own. The Psychic Pokémon began sending its thoughts into its Trainer's mind.

_We both know that the only honorable thing for you to do, is to find Red and warn him of this dark power._

Silver's mind was riddled with options for what he could do next. He could find Red and let him know about the new criminal gang looking for him, or he could do nothing and abandon Red to his fate. Both options had their pros and their cons. If he helped Red then he would ensure that one day he would be the one to destroy his nemesis, but that meant he would be helping his greatest enemy. If he did nothing, then he would finally be rid of Red, but at the same time he would never be able to defeat him himself.

Finally, after several minutes of deciding, Silver reached a decision. His only hope was that he was making the right decision. That night, Silver would leave Viridian City to begin his new quest.


	6. Departure

The sun was high in the morning sky when Red and the other Trainers had met in front of Red's house to discuss their plans. They already came to the decision that each of them would go to one of the kingdoms to obtain the Celestial Stones. Deciding which Trainer would go to which kingdom was difficult.

Max had the idea that they would roll dice to see who gets which kingdom, until May commented that he would easily cheat. Misty came up with the idea that they draw straws. The length of the straws determined which person got which kingdom. Red agreed on this as no one of them would have an advantage and it was based around chance. As she could not command her Pokémon, Dawn did not draw any straws, leaving all eight for the remaining eight Trainers who still had their Pokémon to battle.

The straws were drawn and each Trainer had their assigned kingdoms. There plan then was for them to take the same boat to the Ransei Region and from there, fan out to their individual kingdoms. They each had everything packed for their journey and prepared to depart.

Red had stepped off the porch when he spotted that Dawn was walking back home, her head held low in depression. Red understood her depression, she had been through more in their previous adventure than any of them. Now that a new one was beginning, one that revolved around finding her voice, she couldn't do anything about it. It wasn't fair to exclude her while all her friends got to go on another (safer) fantastic voyage.

"Hey Dawn!" Red's loud voice caught the Priestess' attention and she turned towards him, "Are you coming with me?!"

Dawn was obviously hesitant, Red thought it was because her experience dying had left her traumatized. In truth, she didn't want to be with Red and run the risk of falling for him. Before her fourteenth birthday, before her adventures began, she hated Red. After defeating Team Galactic, she respected him once again. As their quest to find the Palace of Light progressed, she became more and more attracted to him, and it seemed like him to her.

However, the young girl's thirst for adventure outweighed the idea of being close to Red. After the traumatic experiences she faced, Dawn wanted nothing more than to forget the horrors she saw, by going on another adventures. At the same time, she knew that it was her voice they had to get back, she had a right to go with them. With her decision made, Dawn ran over to Red and nodded excitedly as a show of her decision.

Red was surprised that she would want to go out there again, especially so soon after defeating Giratina. But it was her choice and this time he would be there to protect her, where he failed to last time. He knew it was bound to happen and he was ready for it.

"Then let's get going." Red decided.


	7. Job Termination

The Team Rocket trio had faced some very terrifying things in their time; rival crime gangs, angry Pokémon and even the near end of the world. But today they were going to face something they feared more than even Giratina's wrath, Giovanni's wrath. As they entered Team Rocket's crumbling base, they began to dread for their lives as it had come time for them to be debriefed by their leader.

"How do we explain to the boss that we failed again?" Jessie asked fearfully.

"A better question is how do we get the blame off us?" James corrected.

"Hang on, how do we know the boss is gonna freak out?" Meowth wondered.

"Because we spent eight million dollars trying to catch Arceus and Giratina." James reminded his feline companion.

"Yeah, but if we let him know that it was to save Team Rocket he's sure to let us off the hook" Meowth reassured.

"You're right Meowth!" Jessie realized, suddenly brimming with confidence, "How can the boss be mad at us if he knew that what we were doing was for a worthy cause?"

"But we didn't capture them." James reminded still depressed.

"Ah but you forget Jamie, these were god Pokémon." Meowth reminded, "And it ain't exactly a picnic trying to catch gods. We'll be sure to tell the boss that and I'm sure he'll cool it."

"I suppose you're right" James finally conformed, "I guess once we get our story straight he'll let us off the hook."

Little did any of them know, that that was far from what the case would be.

"How can any creature with half a mind be as imbecilic! Ignorant! And blind to reality as you three!" Giovanni roared the moment he saw them enter his office.

"We are on the verge of Chapter 11 and you three have pushed us even further into dept!" Giovanni shouted as he got up from his desk.

"Actually we're on the verge of Chapter 8 in the story" James corrected.

"SHUT UP!" Giovanni screeched at James before slightly lowering his voice, "Explain to me what compelled you three to spend eighty percent of our remaining profits?!"

"Well - Uh - Sir, we were - Uh - trying to capture Arceus and Giratina to bring more money to Team Rocket" Jessie stuttered nervously.

"Then where are they?" Giovanni asked silently but with clear anger in his voice.

"Well Arceus sort of got away" James explained nervously, sweat pouring down his face.

"And Giratina sort of" Meowth made a slashing motion across his neck with his thumb and made a small raspberry sound, indicating Giratina's death.

"So not only did you three waste our money chasing fairy tales" Giovanni started quietly, but his slowly started to build, "But the only excuse you have for turning up empty handed is that one escaped AND YOU THREE KILLED THE OTHER ONE?!"

"But we didn't kill him!" Meowth pleaded terrified, "It was the blue haired twerp, she's a Jedi Knight!"

"I'm not listening to any more of your false stories!" Giovanni answered.

"Wait they're real!" Jessie pleaded as she waved her open hands at Giovanni.

"Yes, I have pictures." James added as he took a small memory card out of his pocket.

Giovanni swiped it out his hand and brought it to his computer. He activated the photo library on the card after inserting it into the computer. He was not satisfied by what he saw.

"There's nothing here but black in all your shots" Team Rocket's leader growled.

"WHAT?!" The Rocket trio asked in terror as they all looked at the screen. Their leader was right, all the pictures were just black.

"Maybe something's wrong with my camera." James commented as he pulled out his camera. Jessie and Meowth immediately noticed something quite wrong about the camera.

"James, what's that?" Jessie asked as she pointed at his camera.

"Oh it's an Icon, they make the best cameras in the world." James answered joyously.

"No you idiot this!" Jessie explained as she pulled the cap off the front of the lens.

"Oh that's the lens cap." James answered, still joyously.

"Please tell me you just put that on!" Meowth begged, realizing the answer to the black photo mystery.

"Of course not. You see, I have a bad history of my lens cap falling off my camera, so I've decided to glue it to my lens to make sure it never falls off." James answered, still oblivious to his greatest mistake.

"You...IDIOT!" Jessie and Meowth shouted in unison as they tackled James to the floor and worked together to throttle him.

"ENOUGH!" Giovanni's thunderous voice halted the rage between the three agents. As soon as the dust settled the trio got back to their feet and stood straight as soldiers.

"Now under normal circumstances I would merely deduct your salaries." Giovanni explained with great and furious anger in his voice, "But seeing as you three have all but killed Team Rocket, I have only one option left. And it's one I have waited so long to use."

The trio gasped in terror. They knew what Giovanni was going to say next and they dreaded the day he would say it.

"You don't mean..." Jessie began.

"It can't be" James continued.

"Don't say it, I don't wanna hear it!" Meowth concluded. Giovanni then said four words that the trio were more afraid of than any other words,

"You three, are fired!"

In that instant, Jessie, James and Meowth's entire world came crashing down around them. Their job, their homes, their titles, all stripped away in just four words. Before any of them could burst into tears, Giovanni's Persian acted. The feline Pokémon leapt behind them and unleashed its Power Gem attack. The red beam of energy struck the trio, pushing them through the walls of Giovanni's office and flying into the air.

"We're blasting off for the last time!" The trio shouted as they faded into the sky.


	8. Parting Ways

The boat ride to the Ransei Region was a short voyage across the sea. Once the ship made port, the nine Trainers departed and went their separate ways after saying their goodbyes. Ash and Misty travelled together though as the path to their separate kingdoms was on the same route for a period before they would branch off. For as long as they would spend together on the road, they enjoyed it.

Ash remembered when he and Misty first met, some six years ago. On the same day Ash started his journey with Pikachu, Misty was fishing by a small lake near Pallet Town. While fleeing from an angry flock of Spearow, they ended up destroying her bike. Out of rage, she decided to follow Ash and Pikachu on their journey until he paid her back for her bike.

As time progressed, Misty forgot about her bike and saw Ash as his friend. Together, they journeyed a great distance, conquered many evils, and met great people and Pokémon. It looked as though the two would spend eternity together, but that dream was dashed in one day. Her sisters called her and told her that they were to be touring the world, leaving her to take care of the Gym. This meant that she had to say goodbye to her friends while they continued their journey. It almost killed Ash to watch her leave.

Years progressed as Ash continued his journey. Though he met many friends along his path, he could not help but miss Misty every day. The only thing that prevented him from returning to her was his desire to become as great a Pokémon Master as his heroes, the Pokédex Keepers. All that would change one day while he was travelling through the Fiore Region. He received a letter from Misty, it read;

_ I am wishing you all the best. For every wonder I showed you when we journeyed together, you showed me twice as many. I cherished every moment we were together and regret my greatest mistake, leaving you. If all my prayers were stepping stones, then I would walk across the world to be with you. Know that even though we are separate, you will always be in my heart._

That was all it took. Ash boarded the next boat to Vermillion City and from there, he walked to Cerulean City. Not sleep, rain or the night stopped Ash, he was determined to reach Cerulean City and nothing would get in his way. Two days of travelling without stop and he finally reached Cerulean City.

Fueled by his strong will, Ash pushed through the newly renovated Cerulean Gym until he found Misty. She was in the pool practicing with her Pokémon when Ash jumped into the water, swam up to her and confessed his feelings to her. His words still ringed in her head.

_I've been selfish Misty. While I've been seeing the world, you've been stuck here as a prisoner. That's not fair of you, you deserve more than this. I want you to come with me everywhere I go so we can be together again. If you can't leave that's fine with me, I'll give up being a Pokémon Master and stay here with you. I don't care, I just want us to be together again. That's all that I want, you have meant so much to me and I didn't realize it until we were apart. What I'm trying to say is; Misty, I love you._

Overcome by joy, Misty wrapped her arms around Ash and kissed him. Her sisters were eavesdropping on the young lovers and as soon as they heard Ash confess her feelings for their baby sister, they fired her so she would have nothing stopping her from being with Ash. At first, she was quite enraged, but when she learned that her sisters did it for her sake, she forgave them and considered it the kindest act they ever committed for her.

The two planned to travel to the Fiore Region where Ash would resume where he left off on his journey. However, several days after confessing his love to Misty, he got a call from Dawn inviting him down to the Sinnoh Region to celebrate her fourteenth birthday. Ash asked if Misty could go with him and Dawn responded;

"Any friend of yours is a friend of mine."

Ash's mind returned to reality, when Misty put her hand on his shoulder and described a significant part of their environment to him.

"Ash, the path splits here." The aspiring Pokémon Master looked forward and saw Misty's words to be true. The dirt path they walked on split and forked into two directions. Ash felt the weight of the world fall on his shoulders as he knew this meant that their time together would end.

"I guess this is where we split up." Misty commented with obvious sorrow in her voice.

"I should go with you, you still haven't regained your full strength." Ash commented.

"What do I have to be worried about?" Misty asked rhetorically, "The Antimon are gone and you don't have to be Red to take care of Team Rocket."

Ash still had the stern expression on his face as he refused to admit that Misty was right. He just wanted to be sure that she'd be safe.

"We're just looking for some stones, there's no danger in that." Misty said more gently, "I promise you I'll come back."

Ash was unsure of what he should say. This scavenger hunt would be far easier than the hell they endured over the last year and a half, but he lost Misty once and did not want to lose her again. He reached a decision on what he would do next.

"I'll be sure of it." Ash said as he took his hat off and gently placed it on Misty's head.

"Take my hat" Ash offered, much to Misty's shock.

"But Ash, it's your hat, your trademark! I can't accept this."

"Keep it with you, so that you'll always have a part of me." Ash explained.

"Then I should give you something." Misty offered as she began looking for something to give, only to be stopped by Ash.

"Don't worry Misty, I've still got this." Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out a pink handkerchief. The same handkerchief she gave him when they parted ways the first time years before.

"You kept it?" Misty asked mildly surprised.

"It kept me going, it always reminded me of how amazing the time we spent together was." Ash explained. Overcome by joy, Misty lunged forward and hugged Ash tightly. After a few seconds, she finally pulled away from him and prepared to leave.

"Just be safe." Ash said as he stepped forward and kissed Misty on the cheek.

"As our little priestess friend would say, no need to worry." Misty answered as she adjusted the rim of her lover's hat and walked away, Togetic followed behind her.

"I love you!" Ash called out as she walked into the distance. He was upset when he heard no response. The brother to the king of Trainers waited until Misty waited from view before acting.

"Staraptor, I choose you!" Ash shouted as he released his powerful Flying Type. Staraptor hovered over Ash awaiting a command.

"Staraptor, I want you to follow Misty and if she gets into any kind of trouble, you have to let us know. But don't let her know you're following her." Ash commanded. Staraptor nodded in obedience and flew in the direction of his Trainer's lover.

Ash knew that he was betraying Misty's trust, but it was necessary to him if he was to guarantee her safety (and his hat's too.)

"I just hope she can forgive me." Ash commented to Pikachu. The electric mouse simply scratched his head in a show of insecurity.

Without another word, Ash and Pikachu began walking down the alternate road Misty took. Ready to face whatever danger was awaiting them.


	9. Kenshin

Illusio was a mere short walk from the docks from which they arrived in the Ransei Region. This made Gary's voyage all the less painful. It was but a short walk along a dirt road which eventually lead through calm forests before he came across the ruins.

They lay at the bottom of a fifteen foot drop in the forest. Very little of the actual city was left, only a few houses and the shambled remains of the streets. At the heart of the city was the remains of a massive Japanese temple, it had traces of black and purple paint that once adorned the building. The temple was the most intact building in the kingdom.

"That's got to be where the stone is." Gary said to himself. The grandson of Professor Oak skidded down the side of the drop and began walking through the ruined city.

There was an eerie silence to the remains of Illusio. The only sounds Gary could hear were the winds sweeping through the hollow buildings and through the sand, and the echo of his own footsteps. The silence began to intimidate Gary. He was beginning to believe as though he was the only person in the Ransei Region, maybe even the world. Gary eventually threw off these absurd thoughts and continued into the temple.

Inside the temple, Gary was astonished by how intact the interior was. The walls of the temple were lined with illustrations of Psychic Legendary Pokémon including; Mew, Jirachi and Cresselia. At the far end of the long interior chamber, was an altar. Two statues of Latias and Latios, respectively, were placed on the left and right sides of the altar, and on top of a pedestal was a round stone. The stone was perfectly spherical with a glimmering shine to it as it was coloured exact to the planet Venus. As Gary approached the stone, the chamber began to feel warmer and warmer.

"This must be the Celestial Stone." Gary said, "I'll bet Ash isn't anywhere near his kingdom yet."

Gary prepared to reach for the stone, when a blue aura formed around him. Seconds later, he found himself being lifted into the air and thrown to the other side of the chamber. As Gary began pulling himself to his feet, a voice echoed from everywhere in the chamber.

_Who dares to trespass upon my temple?_

Gary looked around for where the voice came from. It came from the four walls that surrounded him, it was impossible to point out one specific place from which the voice came. Suddenly, the entrance to the temple, and the doors that were high on the walls, were sealed shut, and darkness consumed the chamber.

Seconds later, something materialized out of thin air in front of the altar. It was a semi transparent human. He had a white hood pulled over his face and was adorned in white and black armor. He stood at the altar, firm and strong. Although his face would conceal it, he was staring at Gary from across the chamber with fierce determination.

"Who are you?" Gary asked in a challenging voice.

"I am the soul of Kenshin, ruler of Illusio, master of Psychic Power." The spiritual entity declared before responding coldly, "Who are you?"

Gary saw his chance to assert his dominance and was quick to take it. Putting one foot forward and placing his hand on his chest, Gary stated his title in a bold voice.

"I am Gary Oak, grandson of the great Professor Oak, brother of the Pokédex Keeper; Blue Oak! and I have come for the Celestial Stone of Venus!"

"If you wish to take the stone, then you must face me in battle." Kenshin challenged.

"A Pokémon Battle?" Gary asked as he released Umbreon from its PokéBall.. He was quite surprised that an ancient spirit would want to have a Pokémon Battle, assuming his assumptions were correct.

"Correct" Kenshin responded in a voice, void of emotion, "If you can defeat my one Magic Creature using just three of yours, then the Stone of Venus is yours."

"And if I lose?" Gary asked.

"When you fall, your soul and the soul of your most favored Magic Creature will be doomed to stay here in my place and guard the stone until another comes to challenge you."

"Then I guess I'd better win, though with my skills, I can't lose to just one Pokémon." Gary responded confidently, "Umbreon, Go!"

Umbreon jumped onto the makeshift battlefield before it and prepared to fight. The small black Pokémon leaned forward and growled at the warlord's soul. Kenshin simply waved his hand and a Gallade materialized in front of him. Gary was surprised to see this, but not as surprised as he thought he would be.

"That's a nice trick, but I've seen stranger." Gary commented.

The torches that lined the walls ignited with great flames that lit the chamber, signifying the start of the battle.

"Umbreon, use Shadow Ball!" Gary commanded. Umbreon jumped forward, generating a sphere of shadow energy in front of its open mouth and swung its head forward, throwing the sphere at Gallade.

The Shadow Ball flew towards Gallade at incredible speed, Gary was confident that his attack would strike Gallade. He was unaware that seconds before he commanded Umbreon, Kenshin peered into his mind to find gain an advantage. What Kenshin saw, he quickly transferred into his Gallade's mind and the Pokémon was ready to defend and fight back.

Inches from the Shadow Ball, Gallade threw its bladelike forearm forward and sliced the Shadow Ball into pieces which dispersed. It jumped back down in front of Umbreon and began kicking the small Pokémon at a rapid pace. Gary was horrified by this move, it was Close Combat. This was a Fighting type move which was super effective against a Dark type like Umbreon. Finally Gallade stopped its onslaught and jumped back to its master's side. Meanwhile, Umbreon collapsed from exhaustion.

"Umbreon no!" Gary shouted in terror.

"That Shadow ball was moving too fast for Gallade to dodge." Gary commented before coming to a realization, "Unless Gallade knew it was going to come."

"You have only two left" Kenshin commented, his hood concealed his dark grin.

"I forgot that Gallade's a Psychic Fighting type, I won't make that mistake again." Gary decided as he sent put his next Pokémon, "Go Blastoise!"

Blastoise was the first Pokémon Gary received. Given to him by his grandfather on the day he started his Pokémon journey, when it was just a Squirtle. His older brother, Blue, was given a Squirtle by their grandfather to train. His brother's Kanto starter Pokémon proved to be a most powerful fighter for him. Gary praised his brother throughout their childhood and wanted nothing more than to be as great as him. His hopes would be that if he chose the same Pokémon as his brother, then he would achieve greatness like him. It didn't disappoint him, it was a powerful fighter and a close friend. Blastoise won Gary badges in the Kanto and Johto Regions and protected him from deadly enemies. There was no way this Pokémon could lose under his command.

Kenshin peered into Gary's mind and saw the boy's strategy. He planned to attack Gallade with a barrage of ranged attacks, and while the Pokémon was distracted Blastoise would charge in with his Skull Bash and hopefully KO Gallade. Kenshin relayed this message into Gallade's mind and the psychic fighter readied for action.

"Okay Blastoise, use your Hydro Pump!" Gary commanded. Blastoise pulled its head back into its shell and fired two concentrated blasts of water from the cannons coming out of its back.

Gallade was ready for this. The agile Pokémon jumped out of the way of the Hydro Pump and high into the air. Once it reached the pinnacle of its height, Gallade began throwing blue disks of energy from its forearms. Gary knew that this move was Psycho Cut. The Psycho Cut attack struck the Hydro Pump and dispersed it. Gallade then began charging back down towards Blastoise at great speed.

"Quick Blastoise! use your Hydro Cannon!" Gary commanded desperately. Spheres of water began generating in both of Blastoise's cannons and one in its mouth.

Gallade moved to quickly, in just seconds it was inches away from Blastoise and it began swinging its forearms at Blastoise. Striking the Pokémon at incredible speed, this move was known as Fury Swipes. Normally this was a very weak attack, but in this case it seemed to be inflicting great damage on Blastoise. Gallade finished its onslaught and jumped back to the other side of the battlefield.

Blastoise stood back up, barely and looked at Gary, ready to hear its Trainer command. Gary wanted to call Blastoise back, but judging by the look in the Pokémon's eyes, he knew that it still was ready to battle beside him. That was enough for Gary to hear. The grandson of Professor Oak's gaze turned to Kenshin, and he was not pleased.

"You're keeping a secret aren't you?" Gary challenged angrily.

"Indeed, I am a master of psychic power." Kenshin answered with cruel joy, "Whatever plans you make in your mind I can see and send to my Gallade so it will know how to defend itself."

"That's a pretty underhanded move" Gary responded with repressed anger in his voice.

"And who is there to enforce said rule?" Kenshin remarked, "I rule this kingdom, you have trespassed in hopes to steal treasure. You have no power here."

"Then I'll just have to beat you!" Gary decided, "Blastoise use your Hydro Cannon again."

As Blastoise prepared to strike again, Gallade teleported just as the three blasts of water came towards him. Moments later, Gallade reappeared in front of Blastoise and slammed its forearm into Blastoise's unguarded underbelly. The force from the blow was too much for Blastoise to take and it collapsed.

"Not you too Blastoise!" Gary shouted with terror as he called his first ever Pokémon back.

"It's hopeless" Kenshin bragged, "As long as you keep commanding your Pokémon, you will fail."

Gary hated to admit it, but he knew Kenshin was correct. There was no way that he could win if Kenshin would constantly be one step ahead of him. His commands were futile when Gallade would be able to see them coming.

"There's no way my Pokémon could win if I can't command them." Gary complained.

"Were you're Pokémon so dependent on you even before you caught them?" Kenshin asked.

Gary then realized what Kenshin was referring to. Before Gary caught any of them, they had to fend for themselves in the wild. Pokémon owned by Trainers would battle for sport, those in the wild had to battle for their survival. It then dawned on Gary what had to be done if he had any choice of winning, and he knew which Pokémon to use.

"Salamence, I choose you!" Gary shouted as he sent out a very powerful Pokémon.

Kenshin peered into Gary's mind and awaited him to command his Pokémon. He couldn't find anything that had to do with commands. Instead, Gary stood in place with his arms crossed and a smug grin on his face. Gary knew that Kenshin was looking into his mind and had a message for him.

_Let's see your mind games win this time._

"Then I will make the first move." Kenshin decided, "Gallade, use your Psycho Cut!"

Gallade once again began throwing energy disks at Salamence. Before its Trainer could command it, the dragon leapt out of the way of the attack and into the skies. Salamence's wings began glowing purple as it swooped down towards Gallade. Once it believed it got close enough, Gallade swung its glowing wings forward and struck Gallade with great force.

"What?" Kenshin asked surprised and terrified.

Before Gallade could recover, Salamence attacked it again. The dragon released a purple stream of wind from its mouth which surrounded Gallade. As the winds dispersed, Gallade prepared to jump out of the way of the attack, only to find that it's limbs refused to move. They were stiff, frozen, paralyzed.

"No! Gallade!" The ruler of Illusio shouted in fear.

Salamence attacked its paralyzed opponent once more. The Pokémon's razor sharp teeth began glowing as it lunged forward and bit down on Gallade's shoulder. Gallade howled in pain as the dragon sunk its teeth deeper into its opponent. With one powerful swing of its strong neck, Salamence threw Gallade towards the altar. The Pokémon struck the holy pedestal with enough force that it crumbled to pieces. As the dust kicked up from the collision settled, it revealed that Gallade was unconscious and buried under several tons of stone.

"I have lost?" Kenshin asked in disbelief, "How is that possible? How could you command Salamence without using your mind?"

"It's quite simple, I didn't." Gary explained, " Salamence never listens to any commands of mine. So I used that to my advantage and it ended up beating your Pokémon with just its savagery."

Gary expected Kenshin to become enraged by its defeat and being forced to give up the stone. Instead, he seemed to have an air of joy to him.

"Then I concede to you." Kenshin congratulated, "The Celestial stone of Venus, is yours."

The stone levitated out of the rubble and hovered towards Gary. Instinctively, the Trainer held out his hand and let the stone descend into it. Moments later, a god beam came down from the ceiling over Kenshin who began lifting into the air and disappearing, as was Gallade.

"What's happening?" Gary asked curiously.

"My purpose was to guard the stone until it was rightfully taken from here, now that I have in purpose I am to ascend to heaven at last." Kenshin explained, "Also Gary, when I looked into your mind I saw why you needed the stone. May the daughter of God's sacrifice be not in vain."

With those final words, Kenshin and Gallade finally disappeared and the light faded. The entrance to the temple opened once more and light shined through.

Gary looked at the stone in his hand. It was so difficult for him to accept that such a stone could unlock the key to great power. But he had seen stranger things and accepted it. His moment of thought was halted when he reached a terrifying conclusion.

"If this stone had a spirit guarding it, then the others obviously would too."


	10. Motonari

It all happened so suddenly. Lyra entered the temple of the lost Kingdom, Greenleaf and was suddenly challenged by a ghost. The spirit of the warlord Motonari challenged her to a Pokémon battle. If she could defeat his Serperior using just three of her Pokémon (which would actually be all of her Pokémon) then the Celestial Stone of Earth would be hers.

So far, the battle was not tipping in her favor. Although she had not lost any Pokémon yet, her Meganium was taking some heavy damage, and substitutions were not allowed. So her first Pokémon had to power through the battle. Lyra had one particular problem with this battle, every one of Meganium's Grass type moves that scored a direct hit on Serperior, seemed to only make the Pokémon stronger, while every Grass type move that Serperior used against Meganium seemed to do as much damage to it as a Fire type move.

Motonari looked like the average swashbuckling hero, despite his green hair. He wore a white and orange vest with a teal blue shirt and armor similar to Kenshin's. He had a very peculiar way of talking, it was like an ancient form of jungle slang.

"Any nature-strike will only make Serperior stronger." Motonari warned his opponent.

"Okay then, we'll just have to rely on force and not type, Meganium use Solar Beam!" Lyra commanded.

Trained by a Pokémon Ranger, Meganium had learned to absorb solar power through the massive flower around its neck. In this way, it was ready to fire its Solar Beam when called upon. Meganium unleashed its beam of light energy from its mouth. The beam struck Serperior and pushed it into the wall on the far side of the temple with astounding force. Lyra's hope was that the force from the Solar Beam and the impact against the wall would be enough to damage Serperior.

What happened next, Lyra did not expect. As Serperior charged through the dust at incredible speeds. The leaf like attachments to the end of its tail began glowing green. The green snake Pokémon swung its tail forward and struck Meganium, causing the already ailing Pokémon to spiral to the ground unconscious.

"You fought well Meganium." Lyra complimented as she called her Pokémon back to its PokéBall.

"Your nature-friend creature was brave, but if you had a thought-plan then you would've known that no matter the force of the nature-strike, Serperior will still not be damage-hurt." Motonari explained again.

"Will you stop talking like Toa Lewa!" Lyra shouted at her opponent.

The young Pokémon Ranger took a moment to strategize her next move. Grass type attacks seemed to have no affect on this Pokémon. She could send out Marill, but Water types Pokémon like that are weak against Grass types like Serperior. Her best bet was Girafarig, however it was too easy a strategy. Motonari would be prepared for something like that. If Lyra wanted to win then she had to show him something that he would not expect.

"Marill, it's your turn!" Lyra shouted as she sent out a very unlikely Pokémon.

"You're sending out a wet-creature? that's some slow-thinking." Motonari warned, "But if you insist, Serperior use Vine Whip!"

Serperior shot two vines from its neck towards Marill. Lyra was prepared for this, her Pokémon had learned many new moves during the year long god war.

"Marill, use Protect!" Lyra commanded. A green force field enveloped Marill. The Vine Whips charged forward and struck against the force field, unable to breach it. The warlord of Greenleaf was obviously taken aback by this, but he had seen this strategy used before and was ready for it.

"Serperior use Leaf Blade!" Motonari commanded. The leaf like appendages on Serperior's tail began glowing again and it lunged towards the small Water Mouse Pokémon. But Lyra was prepared for this.

"Now, Marill use Superpower!" Lyra commanded boldly. Marill's body began to glow with power, it then charged forward and struck the oncoming Serperior with enough force to turn a skyscraper into rubble. The Regal Pokémon was sent flying into the air before crashing back to the ground. Being a Grass type, the Fighting type moves affect it greatly.

"Your ego won't last you much longer." Lyra commented.

"Excellent smart-plan, but it won't save you, your wet-creature is weak against my nature-friend still." Motonari replied.

"Serperior use Leaf Storm!" Motonari then commanded.

The green snake Pokémon began spinning its tail around in a circle, slowly the spinning began to get faster and faster until it looked like a green circle around where the Pokémon's tail should be. An eruption of leafs began shooting out of the circle, heading straight for Marill with enough force to shred iron. Lyra was still prepared and Marill knew it.

"Marill, use Hydro Pump!" Lyra commanded. Marill shot a powerful jet of water from its mouth at a speed greater than the Leaf Storm. The blast of water knocked the leaves off course and continued on, striking Serperior and forcing the Pokémon against the same wall and rendering it unconscious.

"You have won?" Motonari asked rhetorically with joyous surprise.

"You did it Marill!" Lyra complimented joyously.

Marill couldn't show its joy to its trainer because it felt strange, a feeling it had never felt before. Marill's body began to glow blue, it's form then began to morph. Once the glow faded it revealed that Marill had taken on a new form. It was twice its original size with a more oval shaped body, a white underbelly with blue spots and long pointed ears. Marill, had just evolved into Azumarill.

"Well this day turned out better than I thought." Lyra commented. Motonari then began lifting up into a light in a fashion exact to Kenshin's, "Hey Matau, what's happening to you?"

"Because you have won-gained the Celestial Stone of Earth, I do not have to safeguard it anymore, meaning I can high-rise to Arceus' spirit-home." Motonari explained joyously.

As he explained himself, the Stone of Earth lifted off its pedestal, floated towards Kyra and dropped gently into her open hand. Like the Stone of Venus, the Stone of Earth was spherical colored after its planetary namesake.

"Thank you for ridding me of this ever-curse, use the stone wisely." Motonari said in a fading voice. With those final words, Motonari and Serperior faded into the light and the light dispersed.

Lyra looked at the stone in her hand, she couldn't believe that she so easily had fulfilled her mission. Now all that was left was for her to wait for the others to acquire their stones then they could find the Sinjoh Ruins and return Dawn's voice. But then she came to a horrifying revelation.

"All the other ruins must be guarded by spirits!" Lyra realized, "I have to warn the others!"

The Pokémon Ranger grabbed her Pokégear and dialed the number of the person she felt like she had to alert first.

"Red! I have to warn you, be careful about the ruins you're going to, they could be guarded!" Despite Lyra's desperation, her call didn't reach Red's Pokégear. Time and time again she tried but her message couldn't pull through to Red. She tried all her other numbers but none made contact, despite having full bars. It became clear to Lyra what this meant.

"Someone doesn't want me to warn the others."


	11. Double Trouble

Days had passed since Jessie, James and Meowth's final blast off. Their work credentials left them unable to find work anywhere. Forcing them to live a horrendous life on the streets, where they had to scavenge for food every day. Ironically it was not that different from field work when they worked for Team Rocket. But what kept them strong during that time was their goal to stay true to Team Rocket. Now that they were without purpose it was hard for them to find any reason to keep on going.

While Jessie and James sat in the alley, wallowing in self pity, Meowth was digging through the garbage cans in a desperate search for food. Most of the time they would find rotten pieces of food or chip bags with a few crumbs left. Today, Meowth would hit the jackpot.

"Jackpot! I just found us a sandwich!" Meowth exclaimed with joy as he showed his compatriots his prize. The sandwich had only two bites taken out of it and it seemed freshly disposed of, the next thing to a turkey dinner for them.

"Who throws out a sandwich after taking two bites?" James commented.

"Who cares! we get to eat like kings tonight!" Meowth argued.

"Give it to me! I'll split it properly!" Jessie said as she swiped the sandwich out of Meowth's paws.

"By properly you mean giving only crumbs to me and Jimmy boy!" Meowth responded as he took the sandwich back.

"Hey wait a minute! with your Wailord sized mouth, you'd eat the entire sandwich in one bite!" James remarked as he swiped the sandwich out of Meowth's paws.

"Exactly, a big mouth needs a lot of food to fill it!" Meowth explained as he took it back.

"For goodness sake just give it to me!" Jessie demanded as she began reaching for the sandwich, the same time as James was.

The three began wrestling for the sandwich, pulling and pushing to get their hands on it. The puny delicacy was flung out of their hands as it tumbled along the ground. Jessie, James and Meowth watched in horror as it slipped through a sewer grate and disappeared. The trio threw themselves towards the grates and looked through, in horror as it faded into the blackness below the streets. All they could do was sob over the thought of near starvation.

Their tears were broken when a figure wearing black high heels stepped up to them. In unison they looked up to see that standing before them, was a woman wearing a black skirt and jacket, and a dark red ascot. Her skin was white as snow and her purple hair was done up in a very professional manner.

"Has the great Team Rocket trio fallen so low?" The mysterious woman asked sympathetically.

"And who are you to say how low we've fallen?!" Jessie questioned quite enrage as she got back to her feet and looked her opponent in the eye.

The mystery woman's cold expression did not change, and as she looked back into Jessie's eyes, she felt overcome by terror and she quietly returned to her crawling position. The woman then turned sympathetic again as she kneeled to be at eye level with the three before her, to explain who she was.

"My name is Neera, and I am humbly at your service."

Thirty minutes would pass, and then the trio would find themselves at a very prestigious restaurant gorging themselves on three orders of steak dinner each. All of which was paid for by Neera whom as sitting across from them. She waited patiently for them to finish their meals before explaining her purpose to them.

"I believe you" She simply said to them. The trio looked at her curiously, oblivious to what she was referring to.

"Believe us 'bout what?" Meowth asked with food still in his mouth.

"About the gods going to war." Neera explained, "Even if you had no evidence to show Giovanni."

"Wait a minute! How do you know about that?" Jessie asked quite loudly, "We were at headquarters when that happened!"

"You'll find that Team Phantom has spies around the world." Neera explained as she reached into her jacket and pulled out a crest. It looked like two of Giratina's tentacles coming together to form a 'P'.

"Team Phantom, I've never heard of them." James commented.

"Then we are functioning properly." Neera said, "You may not have heard of me, but perhaps you've heard of my older sister."

Once more Neera reached into her jacket and pulled out a photo of a woman the trio knew quite well.

"Sird?! Your older sister is Sird?!" Meowth asked surprised and terrified as he remembered the insanity of Team Galactic's last leader.

"Indeed." Neera answered coldly, "Former double agent for Team Galactic, stationed in Team Rocket. I too worked for Team Galactic, as a scientist researching Giratina. But when Cyrus found out, he halted my projects, believing Giratina to be just a myth. I gathered many like minded agents to stage an uprising, my sister found out and alerted Cyrus who exiled us. We hid in the shadow of the greater known criminal gangs to gather our strength. Soon we had agents working in every region and undercover in every gang. Like phantoms we have hidden in the shadows secretly manipulating the course and fates of so many gangs, and as such I christened us, Team Phantom."

"You've been spying on Team Rocket all this time?" James asked surprised.

"And we didn't even know? go figure." Meowth commented rhetorically.

"Many of our agents have been compromised over the years, but they will take the secrets of Team Phantom to their graves" Neera said as she took a knife off the table and made a slicing motion across her throat. The trio's uneasiness only got worse when she pointed the knife at them and continued to speak, "That is why I have summoned you three, join us."

"Depends, do we have to do any spying?" Meowth asked nervously, "I ain't afraid to die, I just have an issue with being killed."

"Over the years, our spies in different gangs have reported the same thing, that it was you three who helped bring them down." Neera explained, "It is better to have that kind of power on our side, you three could be the key to fulfilling our destiny."

"Well, we just got off from being fired, and you may not want to catch us on the rebound." Jessie explained, with a nervous smile on her face.

Neera could sense that they were hesitant and continued to speak, this time more soothingly as she put the knife down.

"I see, you three require proof." Neera commented as she pointed towards the salt shaker on the table, "Keep your eyes on the shaker."

Slowly, Neera began raising her finger, and as she did the salt shaker began to lift into the air. The shaker began moving towards the fries on Meowth's plate, it flipped over upside down and began rhythmically moving back and forth, letting salt descend onto Meowth's food. The shaker then flipped back up and returned to its exact spot on the table. Neera's act left Jessie, James and Meowth speechless, they would expect a Pokémon to do something like that, but never in their wildest dreams could they expect a human to be able to do it.

"You're telepathic! That's awesome." Meowth complimented, "You think you can move some ketchup onto these fries?"

"Telekinesis is not the only thing I can do." They could hear Neera's voice, but her mouth did not move. They could not even see her jaw move, this could not then be ventriloquism.

"You're a ventriloquist!" James incorrectly identified, "Just like that comedian with the pepper wearing a funny hat!"

"The writer just said it wasn't ventriloquism you moron!" Jessie shouted at James as she smacked him over the head. Meowth suddenly got a dazed expression in his eyes and began speaking in a very tired voice.

"It is telepathy, like many Psychic Pokémon you have seen before, such as Mewtwo."

"Meowth, what's wrong with you?" Jessie asked as she began waving her hand in front of his face. Meowth suddenly snapped out of it and began looking around as though he had woken from a deep sleep.

"I can control Pokémon and make them do my bidding." Neera explained, this time her voice came from her, "All of this is but a small fraction of the powers I have, power like this could easily be yours, my future commanders."

"Without Pokémon we would not make for good commanders." Jessie argued, still not certain if they should join this gang.

"Then it is a good thing I brought these." Neera used her telekinesis to lift two PokéBalls out of her bag. They floated over towards Jessie and James, and dropped into their open hands.

"What're these?" James asked.

"We went looking for them in the Hoenn Region, shall we step outside to see?" Neera offered.

The trio and Neera stepped onto the streets as she offered. Jessie and James were reluctant to open their PokéBalls, as they were unsure of what would come out. Begrudgingly, they opened their eyes, Jessie just hoped that it wasn't a Pokémon as useless as Wobbuffet. The Pokémon that came out, were ones they were not expecting but were overcome with joy to see. It rendered them almost speechless to see them again, all they could do was utter their names.

"Arbok?" Jessie asked in disbelief. The purple cobra like Pokémon slithered over to Jessie and began rubbing its head against hers. That was how she knew, this was her Arbok.

"Weezing?" James asked in the same tone. The purple two headed gas cloud Pokémon hovered over to James and began licking him, letting him know it was the one he lost.

"Oh Arbok, I thought I would never see you again!" Jessie exclaimed with tears in her eyes as she hugged her first Pokémon.

"Weezing, it's been far too long!" James whimpered as he hugged the toxic Pokémon.

"I don't believe it, the band's back together!" Meowth said as he began to cry as well, "It's just like something out of a soap!"

To Neera, their tears were a universal sign of approval. She was the one who reunited these long forsaken friends, they would be in her dept and thus serve her. Despite the logic, she was still unsure if they would say yes.

"Now what do you say?" Neera asked as though she already knew. The trio stopped crying with joy and all three turned to face her. Their tear filled eyes were now alive with the fires of determination, they had something in mind and wanted to say it.

"We're going to need more." Jessie explained.

The sun began to set over Team Rocket's headquarters. Another day of failure had ended. The gang was losing money at an accelerating rate. Giovanni calculated that in just two weeks they would have to close down forever. He spent years working Team Rocket up to the pinnacle it used to be, it broke his heart to think how low they had come. But to him, this may have been the hand that fate would deal him, because he was never there for Silver.

His only son, gone for so many years of his life and now that he was back, he never acted the way a father should. This was likely the reason Silver resented him so much. As Giovanni prepared to close the blinds to his office, he saw something in the darkness of the night.

In the darkness it was difficult to see. As it got closer Giovanni could see that it not one single item, but several smaller items clustered together. Three Osprey helicopters were on their way to Team Rocket's base. Seeing as they were forced to sell all their vehicles, these could not be from him gang. Giovanni then realized what was happening as he rushed to his intercom.

"To all Team Rocket agents, we're under attack! Prepare for battle!" Giovanni alerted.

"I think you should say prepare for trouble!" Jessie's voice warned over the front Osprey's intercom.

"It can't be." Giovanni said, horrified.

Inside each Osprey; Jessie, James and Meowth were instructing their units on how they were to engage the enemy. Once their commands were made, they each attached a bungee to their belts and jumped out of the helicopters. The bungees helped to slow their descent and land on their feet.

Giovanni met the armada of Team Phantom Hoods at the front door. Jessie, James and Meowth (or as they would later be known as the Team Phantom trio) shoved their way to the front and confronted their former leader. Before this day, they were too afraid to even look him in the eye. Now all they wanted was to wipe him off the face of the Earth.

"So am I to be afraid by this turn out, or amused?" Giovanni taunted.

"You made fools out of us!" Jessie shouted.

"Now we're going to have our revenge, Giovanni." James added.

"So prepare for trouble and make it double!" Meowth ended.

The Team Phantom Hoods were soon met by a flurry of Team Rocket Grunts. Although Team Phantom's units were outnumbered, they had Team Rocket outgunned. The Grunts sent out Pokémon ranging from Zubats to Rhydons. The Hoods only had Hydreigons, but they're far more powerful than any of Team Rocket's Pokémon.

"Attack!" Giovanni commanded.

"Attack!" Jessie commanded.

With that an exhilarating battle unfolded. In the flurry of Grunts, Hoods and Pokémon, Hyper Beams and Tri Attacks soared through the air. Zubats and several Hydreigons took their battling to the sky, although the blind bats didn't stand a chance. It was clear though, who was winning as Team Phantom's Dragon types were more than a match for the weaker Pokémon they were up against.

As the battle unfolded, the Team Phantom trio decided to scuttle off, with a small band of Hoods. They knew which room they had to go for, the PokéBall storage room. But they had no intentions of catching any of the Pokémon, they were told by Neera's first lieutenant, Mitsumi, that was not their master plan. This was personal.

"I can't believe we're doing this." James commented.

"I know, it feels great." Jessie added, "We're getting back at Team Rocket for all those years of humiliation."

"And I've never felt more alive in all my nine lives!" Meowth exclaimed with joy, "Now onward to rescue our lost compatriots, and also some music to aid the emotional feel."

One Hood pulled out a ghetto blaster which began playing a customized version of a song the Team Phantom trio knew very well. While battling against the flurry of Grunts, they burst out into song.

_Prepare for trouble,  
Make it double.  
Prepare for trouble,  
Make it double.  
__**James:**__ We'll be the richest rogues of all time.  
__**Jessie:**__ Creators of a grand design.  
__**James:**__ I'll be the king.  
__**Jessie:**__ I'll be the queen.  
__**Meowth: **__I'll be the joker... of crime._

_Prepare for trouble  
Make it double  
__**Jessie:**__ Beware the power.  
__**James:**__ This is our hour.  
__**Jessie:**__ An evil from the beginnings of Earth.  
__**James:**__ Dormant until our rebirth.  
__**Jessie:**__ To ensure the completion of the dark lord's plan.  
__**James:**__ To remove the stain that is man.  
__**Jessie:**__ The mean queen Jessie!  
__**James:**__ The disaster master James!  
__**Jessie:**__ Team Phantom looms high in the sky.  
__**James:**__ Surrender now or prepare to die.  
__**Meowth:**__ That's fly!_

**_Hoods:_**_  
Team Phantom's rockin,  
Talkin' trouble, walkin' trouble,  
Double trouble, big trouble's gonna follow you,_

_Team Phantom's rockin,  
Talkin' trouble, walkin' trouble,  
Double trouble, big trouble's gonna follow you,  
__**Team Phantom trio:**__ We're gonna capture Pikachu._

_Prepare for trouble,  
Make it double,  
__**Jessie:**__ Prepare for trouble  
Prepare for trouble,  
__**James:**__ Make it double  
Make it double,  
__**Hoods & James:**__  
We're Team Phantom and we fight for what's wrong  
For mayhem and madness and rare Pokémon.  
__**Jessie:**__ I'm so gorgeous  
__**James:**__ I'm always the man_

The trio were then contacted by Neera who was using her telepathy. Even from miles away she could still use her psychic powers.

**_Neera:_**_ You're just the pawns in my master plan_

**_Hoods:_**_  
Team Phantom's rockin  
Talkin' trouble, walkin' trouble  
Double trouble, big trouble's gonna follow you_

_Team Phantom's rockin  
Talkin' trouble, walkin' trouble  
Double trouble, big trouble's gonna follow you  
__**Team Phantom trio:**__ We're gonna capture Pikachu_

_We're always gonna try it  
No one can deny it  
We can cause a riot in Sunday School  
__**James:**__ Ooh a riot!  
We'll have you believing  
Truth can be deceiving  
__**Team Phantom trio:**__ "Do unto others" is our Golden Rule_

Finally they reached the PokéBall storage room, while several Hoods stood guard outside the room, while Jessie, James and Meowth went straight for the shelves. They knew exactly which PokéBalls they were looking for. Jessie found them, they were labelled by the Pokémon they had inside them. Seviper, Yanmega and Wobbuffet for herself, and Carnivine and Mime Jr. for James.

**_Jessie:_**_ This is our most ingenious plan ever, if I do say so myself.  
__**James:**__ Even we couldn't screw this one up Jessie.  
__**Meowth:**__ Would you two stop yappin', here they come!  
Prepare for trouble_

Scores of Team Rocket Grunts began charging towards the PokéBall chamber, only to be cut off by an explosion coming out of the wall on the left, followed by an onslaught of Hydreigons and their Team Phantom Grunts. This gave the trio enough time to escape with their Pokémon and their soldiers.

**_Hoods:_**_  
Team Phantom's rockin  
Talkin' trouble, walkin' trouble  
Double trouble, big trouble's gonna follow you_

_Team Phantom's rockin  
Talkin' trouble, walkin' trouble  
Double trouble, big trouble  
Gonna capture Pikachu_

_Team Phantom's rockin  
Talkin' trouble, walkin' trouble  
Double trouble, big trouble's gonna follow you_

"Everyone retreat, we have what we came here for." Jessie ordered through the communications app on her Pokétch. The Hoods began to fall back from the base, pouring out like a swarm of locusts.

"Leave the dead!" Meowth added.

"There are no dead." James corrected.

"I know, but the bad guys say it all the time in war movies." Meowth explained, "I got caught up in the moment.

As they began flooding out of the building, they were soon surrounded by hundreds of Grunts and Giovanni standing in front of the ring.

"Go Weezing, use Smokescreen!" James commanded as he released his Pokémon gift from Neera. The Gas Cloud Pokémon began spewing smoke from its two mouths which engulfed the environment. But it wasn't enough to completely surround the entire perimeter.

"Seviper use Haze!" Jessie commanded as she released her newly freed snake Pokémon. Seviper did the same thing as Weezing did and soon the black fog had engulfed the battlefield. The Grunts were forced to shield their eyes from the sting gases which forced them to cough for air.

Seconds later, the black fog was dispersed thanks to an unknown force of wind from above the Grunts. A deafening buzzing sound filled the air. Giovanni looked up to see the three Ospreys had returned and were air lifting the Team Phantom agents away.

_Team Phantom's rockin  
Talkin' trouble, walkin' trouble  
Double trouble, big trouble  
Gonna capture Pikachu_

_Team Phantom's rockin  
Talkin' trouble, walkin' trouble  
Double trouble, big trouble's gonna follow you_

Once all three Ospreys were far enough away from Team Rocket's headquarters, Meowth pushed a button on a remote detonator, and the bombs that a unit Team Phantom Hoods had placed around the inside of the base, detonated. The first three floors of Team Rocket's base was engulfed in fire. A sonic boom so loud that it shook the Ospreys erupted from the explosion and the rest of the building collapses like a Jenga tower. Dust and smoke soon shrouded the area and engulfed the parts of the building that descended to the ground.

**_Team Phantom trio:_**_ Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!_

After taunting their former employment agency with a famous line, the trio let out a triumphant laugh that echoed through the skies as the Ospreys faded into the night sky.

Under the blanket of dust, Giovanni lay pinned under a massive girder. He was in unbelievable pain. Judging by the agony coursing through the body, he knew his right arm and several of his ribs were broken. His injuries could've been worse, maybe even fatal.

He could not believe what had just happened. The three most disgraceful members in Team Rocket history had lead a band of hoodlums and they destroyed Team Rocket's base. There was no way they could bounce back from such a blow to their organization, not while they were still in dept. Now their base was consumed in fire and who knows how many Grunts survived that explosion. As he slowly slipped out of consciousness, one last thought drifted through Giovanni's mind.

_This is the end of Team Rocket._


	12. Alliance

Red and Dawn pushed through the dense undergrowth of the forest. The night was late and they needed to find a place to rest. The Pokémon Master was determined to find the Celestial stones to restore Dawn's voice, but he knew they would not be strong enough to keep going, if they did not get some sleep.

Even though Dawn was with him, Red could not help but feel this sense of loneliness. Maybe it was because she could no longer speak, or maybe he was feeling the same pain that she was feeling. A gift she has known her entire life, taken from her because of a sacrifice she made to save everyone. Where is the fairness to that, where is the justice, the Equivalent Exchange there. Dawn gave her life to save the future and she is damned to never speak again.

Red knew what was troubling her for real, he could see it in her eyes, it was her death. He had seen his fair share of death in his lifetime, some of it more horrible than he'd like to remember, but he never felt its icy hand himself. He could only imagine how painful death must be. One of the last things Dawn said to him was that she scared. It was time for Red to bring it into the open. Once they finally found a break in the wall of foliage, one with a river running through it and a small cliff face on the other side of the river. Red decided that the time was right.

"Dawn, we have to talk" Red said as he walked in front of Dawn and stopped her. He gestured for her to sit on a nearby. Wearily Dawn did as Red requested, Piplup sat on her lap. Red sat on the log next to him, while Pika sat on his shoulder. The Pokémon didn't know to start the conversation, so he decided to get right to the point and spare them some time.

"It doesn't matter for how long it was, you still died." Red started. Dawn was taken aback that Red would bring up something so horrifying, but she still let him speak.

"I can't imagine how scared you were, or how painful it must've been." Red continued, "But remember why it happened. You knew it was inevitable but you still let it happen. That takes a level of courage that I could never hope to achieve. Still, if it's haunting you, you can't keep that hidden. It takes real courage to let others know about your problems."

Dawn looked up at Red with obvious depression in her expression. This conversation was bringing up very unpleasant memories, but she was happy to know that Red cared this much about her.

"I promise you Dawn, I will never let you go through that pain again." Red assured as he took both her hands in his own, "I will always be with you, even if you can't see me with your eyes."

Red released Dawn's hands and wrapped his arms around her waist, giving her a gentle and sentimental hug. Dawn put her arms around Red and did the same as he was.

Piplup and Pika were standing on the ground watching their trainers hug. Piplup was moved by Red's words and actions. Tears formed in the Penguin Pokémon's eyes, it grabbed the first soft thing it touched and placed it to its eyes, wiping the tears away. Piplup was unaware that this was Pika's tail. Annoyed by this action, Pika sent a powerful electric pulse through his tail, giving Piplup a powerful shock which caused it to fall to the ground stunned. Red and Dawn ignored this, continuing their passionate hug.

"Oh how sentimental." A female voice from the top of the cliff called out. The trainers and their Pokémon looked to see a young girl, about Brock's age, standing at the edge. Her green hair was done up in a zigzag ponytail. She wore grey tank top, red shorts, and grey knee high boots and black, fingerless long gloves.

In an incredible feat of agility and stamina, the mysterious girl jumped from her cliff perch and landed on the other side of the river. From there, she performed another spectacular leap over the river. Landing on the other side with incredible dexterity.

"Who are you?" Red asked very roughly.

"My name is Mitsumi, and I'm here for you." The girl addressed.

"I don't think so, go Squirtle!" Red shouted as he released his fighting Water type.

"Electivire go and use Thunder Punch!" Mitsumi commanded as she sent out her electric Pokémon.

"Squirtle use Water Gun!" Red commanded.

Squirtle unleashed a powerful stream of water from its mouth towards the charging Electivire. Electivire proved too fast and jumped out of the way. Once it had a clear shot of his back, Electivire thrust its fist, crackling with electric power, into Squirtle's back. The blow was agonizing and the fighting Water type fell to his knees in pain. Another hit like that, and Squirtle would be down for the count. Red had to act quickly.

"Aero, come out and use Rock Smash!" Red commanded as he sent out his primeval Pokémon.

The prehistoric creature swooped down at Electivire from the skies, rearing his glowing feet forward. The two talons slammed into Electivire's chest and forced the Pokémon to the ground. Aero soared high into the sky and let loose a powerful shriek of dominance. Any wild Pokémon within a three mile radius of the shriek ran away in fear.

Even though Aerodactyl was a Pokémon from the Mesozoic era, Mitsumi was well aware that this was a Rock type Pokémon. This meant that Electivire's attacks would do little to nothing, despite him also being a Flying type. She needed to pull Electivire out of the battle, quickly.

"Electivire return!" Mitsumi commanded as she called it back, "Go Milotic!"

Mitsumi's elegant water serpent Pokémon emerged from its PokéBall and landed on the battlefield. Aero descended to the ground and began hissing at Milotic. He was afraid of it and wanted to conceal it with a fearsome show of dominance.

"Aero, Steel Wing!" Red commanded. Aero took flight, his wings adopted a silver glow to them as he charged for Milotic.

"Hydro Pump!" Mitsumi commanded her Pokémon. Immediately after Mitsumi issued her command, Milotic shot a powerful jet of water from its mouth. The Hydro Pump struck Aero in his face and sent him spiralling out of the sky and towards the ground. Before he could recover from the blast, Mitsumi was ready with another attack.

"Use Wrap!" Milotic jumped forward and wrapped its body around Aero.

"Crush it!" Mitsumi commanded with fire in her voice. Milotic did as its Trainer ordered and began tightening its grip around the struggling Pokémon. All the helpless fossil Pokémon could do was howl in pain.

"Aero!" Red shouted in terror.

Dawn felt completely helpless. She was forced to sit by while Red and his Pokémon battle a deadly foe. She desperately wanted to help, but without a voice she had no way of commanding her Pokémon. All she could do was sit there and hope for the best.

"Aero, use Rock Smash!" Red desperately ordered. It was no good, Aero was trapped and could not escape.

"Pika, help Aero with Thunder!" Red shouted back to his small Pokémon sitting on the log next to Dawn.

Pika, just as desperate to help his friend, did as Red commanded. Pika also knew that its electric attack would not hurt Aero being a Rock type.

"Dusknoir use Bind!" Mitsumi ordered as she sent out another Pokémon.

The Ghost type Pokémon charged at Pika, slamming its hands down on the little Pokémon and forcing it to the ground. Every time Pika tried to escape, Dusknoir only pressed down on him with greater force. Eventually, Pika realized that he would expel all his energy just trying to escape and stopped.

"What the hell kind of a Trainer are you?" Red asked his opponent half horrified.

" I'm not called Team Phantom's ultimate weapon for nothing." Mitsumi taunted.

"That title used to belong to Team Galactic." Red commented, "Why betray them?"

"Better job opportunity." Mitsumi answered coldly.

"Well I'm not called the king of the Trainers and Master of all Pokémon, for nothing." Red replied.

Slowly Red began reaching for Chars' PokéBall on his belt. Mitsumi knew what he was planning. She knew that Red was going to unleash his Charizard and cause it to Mega Evolve. If he Mega Evolved, then she would have no hope of stopping him. She had to beat him to the punch.

"You talk too much." Mitsumi said as she sent out an Infernape to battle.

The flaming primate Pokémon did not target Aero, it targeted Red. Infernape charged at Red, using its Close Combat attack, slamming its fist into Red's stomach. The force of the impact sent Red flying back and colliding with Dawn and Piplup. The three then fell over the log and flat onto their backs. Infernape leapt onto the log and towered over the three. Mitsumi walked forward and did as her Pokémon was.

"I've won, so much for the king of the Trainers." Mitsumi declared.

"You've only won when I'm dead." Red wheezed, trying to breathe in after having the wind knocked out of him.

"That can be arranged" Mitsumi answered coldly, "And the Guardian Priestess will be mine."

At that moment, Red realized the true nature behind Mitsumi's attack. She was not here to kill him, she was here for Dawn. Whoever this Team Phantom was, they somehow knew that Dawn was the Guardian Priestess, maybe even Arceus' daughter. It was obvious that they wanted Dawn for similar plans as Giratina.

"You stay away from her!" Red demanded.

"I would love to see you stop me." Mitsumi taunted.

Slowly, the Team Phantom assassin began reaching for Dawn. Her movements were slow deliberately as to further torture an immobilized Red. Her slow movements were abruptly halted when a flurry of Hydro Cannon, Overheat and Icy Wind attacks began striking the ground around Mitsumi and her Pokémon. The attacks came from the ledge of the cliff, but in the blinding light they generated, it was impossible to see which Pokémon were attacking, or who was commanding them. Mitsumi tried commanding her Pokémon, but to which ever Pokémon she tried to command, a barrage of attacks targeted it. Whoever was attacking her did not want her to command her Pokémon.

"Fall back!" Mitsumi commanded as she called back her Pokémon except for Milotic.

Milotic unravelled itself from around Aero and dove into the river. The Pokémon soon resurfaced and Mitsumi jumped onto its back. Milotic then began racing with the current and down the river. But as she faded into the distance Red could still hear her voice calling out to him.

"We will battle again, very soon!"

Red wasted no time helping Dawn to her feet. Once he got to his feet, he called Aero back to his PokéBall, gave it to Dawn and told her to tend to his injuries. The Pokémon Master then found himself rushing to the edge of the river and looking up at the edge of the cliff in hopes to find his and Dawn's savior. Shortly after Mitsumi retreated, the attacks from the cliff top stopped, and darkness engulfed it.

"Who's their!" Red shouted skywards. No answer came to him from above.

"There's no need to shout" A very familiar voice said from behind him. Red recognized the voice, to his horror. He turned around and his gaze caught none other than the Trainer he never would've expected, Silver.

Silver slowly began walking towards Red. Pika jumped in front of Red and began shooting small sparks from his cheeks as a show of aggression. The Pokémon Master hunched forward and began reaching for Chars' PokéBall, preparing for a struggle.

"I am not here to start a conflict Red" Silver assured, "More to resolve one."

Red pulled his hand away from his belt and straightened his back. He was curious, if Silver's reason for travelling to the Ransei Region was not to start a battle, then what was it?

"What do you mean?" Red asked nervously, as he slowly began circling around Silver, eyes focused on his nemesis. The Pokémon Master wanted to get close to Dawn to better keep her safe.

"You are after something Team Phantom wants" Silver began before walking to the edge of the river, his back turned to Red, "I have come to offer my services."

Red was surprised. After many years of fierce battling, Silver offers to stand by Red to defeat a common enemy.

"What could you possibly have to gain from siding with me?" Red asked roughly.

"Red" Silver started, before turning to face Red and walking towards him, "You and I are the last two Pokédex Keepers. In the end there will only be one of us, but for now this powerful enemy can only be stopped with unity."

"I have a Guardian Priestess on my side, and I'm a Sacred Knight." Red argued, "That combined is far stronger than even every Pokédex Keeper working together, if they were still here."

Silver let out a small chuckle and he slowly began walking towards Dawn. His attention was now focused on her.

"You are normally a very talkative one" Silver said to her, "Yet you have not uttered a single word during the assassin's attack, no words of wisdom for Red, no shouts of terror when he was in peril. Even now you have not said anything harsh to me. So tell me, why did you not show that ounce of care towards your protector?"

Dawn said nothing, but based on the depressed expression on her young face and the way that Red was glaring at him, Silver pieced together what was happening.

"As I thought, you have no voice." Silver deduced, "Then you are useless in commanding your Pokémon, Priestess."

Silver's focus then turned to Red. The son of Giovanni began walking towards his rival to further his case.

"Then you will require all the protection you can get, especially if members of Team Phantom have begun hunting you two." Giovanni's son explained, "I have already faced five members, and I know their wrath better than any. For them to battle one of us is a challenge, but our power combined will easily overcome their forces."

"We are not chasing Team Phantom " Red explained in an aggravated voice, "We're going to Dragnor."

"Very well, I will provide you with additional protection until you are reunited with your allies." Silver decided.

"Why go to all this trouble?" The Pokémon Master asked.

"Team Phantom will be after the Priestess, they will be drawn to us like flies to a bug zapper." Silver explained, "Eventually, their leader will be forced to come and then, with their defeat, Team Phantom will be destroyed. When you with your friends again, I will know that she will be safe and I will not be needed."

"Then what will happen when our truce is over?" Red asked, prepared for the worst answer.

"I will take my leave, quietly and peacefully so I may defeat you another day." Silver answered with cold truth to his words.

Red knew that Silver was correct about needing better protection, and he could tell that Silver was speaking the truth about leaving peacefully. It was the part in between that Red was nervous about. There was no guarantee that Silver would not betray him while they were on the road. But the king of the Trainers had faith that his nemesis would not try anything so cowardly.

As Red prepared to reach a decision, he felt something tugging on his arm. He looked down to see that it was Dawn. The young Priestess had a nervous, almost scared look on her face. She was shaking her head rapidly, this was a universal sign to Red that she did not approve of Silver's aide. Red knew that they had no choice, but wanted to guarantee her safety. He put his arm around her shoulder, pulled her close, to give her comfort, and had one final request of Silver.

"Do I have your word, that you will devote every moment of our truce, to keeping Dawn safe?"

Silver was hesitant to answer. He could not guarantee her safety, and if they lost her during this expedition, Red would no doubt blame him. Suddenly he heard a voice enter his mind. It was his Alakazam, once again acting as his advisor.

_She is the most important being in the universe Silver, her survival is imperative._

_I cannot guarantee her safety though,_ Silver thought, using Alakazam's telepathy to communicate with him, _And I will not be responsible for whatever decisions she makes._

_Whatever choice she makes, she will have her friends to keep her safe_ Alakazam explained, _For now she needs guardians other than Red._

Silver swallowed his pride and finally gave Red a definitive answer.

"Very well, as long as she does not get in the way, or slow us down."

Red released Dawn from his gentle embrace and walked towards Silver. Once he was close enough he stretched our his hand for Silver to take. Silver understood what this was and did as Red offered. The two Pokédex Keepers then shook hands and their alliance was born.

Mere moments pulling their hands apart, the forest behind them became alive with voices.

"What's that?" Silver asked.

Pika and Piplup could sense that it meant trouble and prepared for battle. Red had another way of deducing who they were.

The Pokémon Master placed his hand to his chest, closed his eyes and called upon his aura powers. Even though his eyes were closed, Red could see the aura of the world around him. What he saw him the forest, a wall of various red aura coming towards himself and his allies. It could be only one thing.

"Team Phantom, and they're heading right for us." Red warned the others.

"Do we stand our ground?" Silver asked as he moved his hand towards his belt.

"There's too many of them, we have to retreat" Red said before turning his gaze to Piplup and Dawn, "You three will ride with me and Pika."

Red grabbed Chars' PokéBall off his belt and released the flaming Pokémon from it. Red then called upon the Mega Stone on Char's necklace, using his Mega Ring and Chars Mega Evolved. This was too allow for better camouflage in the night sky. As he, Pika, Dawn and Piplup climbed onto Chars' back, he noticed that Silver had yet to summon a Pokémon.

"Your Golbat won't be able to lift your body weight, you're better off using Alakazam." Red offered.

"I do not have Golbat anymore" Silver explained, "I released that weak creature and replaced it with this!"

Silver then grabbed a PokéBall off his belt and activated it, revealing a Pokémon none of them were expecting. It was a Charizard, but one as massive as Mega Charizard X with a black body, and red wings and an underbelly. The look in its eyes was cold and cruel as though it was enraged by everything around it. Red seemed almost scared to be near this creature, but was astonished that Silver found such a rare Pokémon.

"You found a Black Charizard?!" Red asked with excitement in his voice.

"Indeed, now shall we go?" Silver asked as he climbed onto his Charizard's back.

The two Pokémon then took flight into the night sky, just as the horde of Team Phantom Hoods breached the clearing.

As they flew through the night sky, Dawn and Piplup's gaze never once left Silver. Neither of them forgot that he handed her over to Team Galactic not that long ago. He made them feel not so much uneasy as angered. Curious of what Piplup thought of the situation, she put her hand on her Pokémon's head and listened to what it had to say in its mind.

_How do we know he won't betray us Dawn?_

Unfortunately for Dawn, she had no way of communicating with Piplup, but if she did she knew what answer she would have for it.

_We don't._


	13. Mitsuhide

The freezing wind stung against Max's bare forearms as they pulled him up the slippery slopes of the frozen mountains in the northwest of the Ransei Region. This was the only path which lead to the kingdom of Nixtorm. The ruins lay at the top of a very perilous mountain with ridges and steep slopes, one slip of the foot and Max would fall to his death.

Despite the odds against him, Max kept going. What he desired above all else was to be seen as equal to his companions. He was the youngest and a rookie Trainer, in a gang of veterans, scientists and champions. As such, he was looked on as the weakest of the nine. He was not going to let this illusion go on. He was going to show that even though he was just a kid, he was just as powerful a fighter as his friends. Fueled by his iron determination, Max climbed higher until he reached a large enough ledge to rest on. Once he got on the ledge, he was amazed by how large it was, as big as twelve city blocks. As he surveyed his environment, something shining in the sunlight caught his eye. When he turned his head, he saw something unbelievable.

A massive Japanese temple carved into the ice of the mountain, sat next to Max. Parts of it had been broken off, obviously by the winds of time. But it was enormous, as large as a seven story building. This was an amazing feat to Max, carving something so massive out of the ice without it collapsing. He was absolutely mesmerized by the majesty and spectacle of the crystal wonder. If it has been able to survive for thousands of years barely scathed, then to Max it would have to be protecting something important.

"That must be where the stone is." Max said to himself as he slowly began walking towards the frozen temple.

The deafening sounds of the blizzard's winds blowing against the snow halted immediately as soon as Max stepped through the threshold and into the temple. Silence engulfed the temple, the only sounds came from Max's silent breathing and the echo of his footsteps.

The interior of the ice temple was even more breathtaking than outside. It was perfectly preserved and so brilliantly carved, it was so easy for Max to forget that it was all made of ice. The most amazing creation of the ice, was the altar at the far side of the temple, at least eighty feet away from Max. Atop the altar was a pedestal with a spherical stone, colored like the planet Neptune.

"There it is!" Max shouted with joy. In his excitement, Max ran towards the altar. May's little brother only got fifty feet before a menacing voice from nowhere called out to him.

_Who challenges the ice?!_

Max looked around frantically at ceiling above him. Suddenly a partially transparent man materialized in front of him. He had black hair in a pony tail, was wearing a black and purple robe with gold shoulder plates and had a heartless expression in his cold blue eyes. The Hoenn Trainer should have been terrified by the sight of a human materializing in front of him. But after all the strange and horrible things he saw thanks to Giratina, this was not as unusual as it should have been. However, he was still surprised by the sight of this, taken aback in mild fear.

"I say again, who challenges the ice?" The mystery spectre asked, more intensely.

Summoning all his courage, Max stood straight and boldly, and with a powerful voice; he answered the ghost.

"I am Max of the Hoenn Region! and I have come for the Celestial stone of Neptune."

"If you wish to claim the stone you must face me; Mitsuhide, ruler of Nixtorm." The spectre addressed himself.

"If you mean in a Pokémon Battle, then I'm game." Max said, very enthusiastic for a battle.

"I fail to see how a boy could be any threat to me" Mitsuhide insulted, "Now leave, you are not worth my time."

Max was obviously angered by what Mitsuhide had to say. How could this man just brush him off like that, without even a chance? How arrogant could this warlord be? In his rage, Max took two steps forward and activated a PokéBall releasing his Golem. The Rock type Pokémon flexed its muscles as a show of dominance, feeling the anger its Trainer did.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Max shouted in anger, "Not without that stone!"

"Very well, if you can defeat my one Magic Creature with three of yours, the stone is yours" Mitsuhide challenged. The Warlord of Nixtorm waved his hand slowly. Moments later an Articuno materialized in front of him.

"An Ice Flying type against a Rock type, too easy" Max boasted, "Golem use Rock Smash!"

Golem charged forward, its fist glowing with power. Articuno simply stayed in its place, awaiting Mitsuhide's command. The ice master stood patiently, waiting for the right moment to command his Pokémon. Once Golem got close enough, within ten feet, Mitsuhide ordered his Legendary bird.

"Hurricane."

Articuno took to the air, moments before Golem could strike it with its fist. High in the air, Articuno began flapping its wings forward, creating violent winds. Golem seemed to struggle to keep its stance against the prevailing winds. In its desperate state, Mitsuhide took an opportunity to attack again.

"Use Rock Smash"

Articuno's wings began glowing and it swooped down towards Golem. The Legendary bird slammed its wings into Golem and knocked it out in one felled it.

"Return Golem." Max commanded as he called Golem back to its PokéBall.

"Now you see Articuno's power" Mitsuhide commented, "If you leave now, I will not hold it against you."

"I'm not a coward" Max said with repressed rage in his voice, "I will stay and win! Go Grovyle!"

Max was taking a risk sending a Grass type out against an Ice type like Articuno. But his hope was to rely on Grovyle's speed to evade Articuno's attacks.

"No child has any hope of being a true master of the creatures" Mitsuhide taunted, "Articuno use Ice Beam!"

"Dodge Grovyle and use Brick Break!" Max commanded.

Grovyle evaded the devastating Ice Beam by a hair and leapt into the air. The leaves on Grovyle's forearms began glowing as energy was sent into them. Grovyle began striking the bird of ice with them. Articuno seemed to be getting hurt by them, but it was not receiving as much damage as Max hoped it was.

"Articuno, use Blizzard!" Mitsuhide commanded, with obvious rage in his voice.

Blizzard once again began flapping its wings, but this time bolts of ice materialized and began striking against Grovyle like dozens of little Shurikens. Being an Ice type attack, it was agonizing to Grovyle, and it was showing.

"Grovyle, jump back and use Bullet Seed!" Max commanded desperately. Grovyle was in so much agony that it couldn't move to obey its Trainer. As it fell to the ground, it was immobilized, helpless to Articuno's wrath.

"Now use Ice Shard" Mitsuhide commanded. Articuno lunged forward, its claws began glowing as it swooped them forward and struck Grovyle, rendering it unconscious. Max called Grovyle back to its PokéBall. It weighed on Max's shoulders knowing that he had yet to prove Mitsuhide wrong and silence this bully.

"I told you boy, you have no hope to claim the stone." Mitsuhide said once again, "You are a mere child, you can never make a change."

Max began taking Mitsuhide's words to heart. It was foolish of him to command his Pokémon to get so dangerously close to a Legendary Pokémon that he could lose so easily too. Maybe Mitsuhide was right, he was acting like a kid. A kid who was rushing in head first, no plan, just determined to win. He showed no care for his Pokémon, all he wanted was the stone and he was going to get it at any cost.

"You're right" Max said quietly, "I am just a kid."

Suddenly, Max's voice began to elevate as he continued to explain himself.

"But just because I'm a kid, doesn't mean I can't be a hero" Max continued, "I may have only one Pokémon left, but my faith in that Pokémon will allow me to win. I believe in you Shuppet, it's all you!"

His resolve made, Max sent out his final Pokémon and prepared for the most intense battle he had faced yet.

"Foolish boy" Mitsuhide commented, "Pride will not win this battle, only skill can get you the stone! Articuno use Hurricane!"

As Articuno began flapping its wings rapidly, Max was ready for this and prepared to command his little ghost Pokémon.

"Shuppet use Sucker Punch!" Max commanded. Before Articuno could begin flapping its wings, Shuppet flew towards the bird and rammed its skull into its belly, sending the Pokémon to the ground.

"Get up Articuno and use Ice Beam!" Mitsuhide commanded, his anger was replaced by terror.

"Not so fast, Shuppet use Hex!" Max commanded. Shuppet's eyes began glowing red. A red aura then formed around Articuno and it felt itself begin forced to the ground, not able to attack, or even move, it was defenceless.

"Now Shuppet, use Will-O-Wisp!" Max commanded, "At point blank!"

Shuppet charged at Articuno, as it did, a blue fireball began to form in its mouth. As it flew closer, the fireball began growing and growing until it was as big as Shuppet's entire head. Once it was only inches away from Articuno, it fired the Will-O-Wisp. The impact to Articuno triggered a massive explosion which engulfed the battlefield. As the smoke settled, it revealed that Shuppet was completely unscathed and Articuno was knocked out.

"Good job Shuppet!" Max shouted with joy as his Pokémon hovered back towards him. The Ghost type Pokémon smiled as a show of joy.

"I lost?" Mitsuhide asked with great shock in his silent voice.

"That's right, we won, that means the stone is ours." Max answered coldly. To Max's surprise, Mitsuhide's expression turned from surprised to joyous.

"Very well, come and claim your prize." Mitsuhide said smiling as he stepped aside and gestured to the stone, "My congratulations champion, I had faith in you."

"Then what was all that about I can't win because I'm a kid?" Max asked angrily.

"Perhaps, that is what you needed" Mitsuhide commented, still smiling. Max looked back on his words and realized, Mitsuhide was not talking about his age, he was talking about his maturity throughout the battle.

"You're right, I was acting like a kid, thanks for helping me" Max said as he walked up the altar, Shuppet following him. The young Trainer walked up past Mitsuhide and took the stone. In an environment of bitter cold, the stone was remarkably warm.

"One last thing Mitsuhide-" Max turned to give a final word to Mitsuhide before leaving, only to find that he and Articuno had disappeared. With their passing, the temple once again fell silent, and Max and Shuppet were left totally stunned by this.

"Well that was creepy" Max commented to Shuppet.


	14. Interrogation

Cynthia had to take a moment to rest her voice. For the last week she had been doing the same thing, Team Genetic agents would escort her and her grandmother from their hotel room and bring them into Director Hayden's office for further questioning. She and Professor Carolina had been talking solely about the god Pokémon, more importantly; their power, their origins and their weakness'. Although she did not want to admit it out loud, she was beginning to feel uneasy, she was losing trust in the government organization.

For the last few hours, Cynthia and her grandmother had been going into detail about the time-space orbs of the Creation Trio. She had finished talking about the effect the Griseous Orb had on Giratina when Hayden stopped her again.

"What do you mean by its original form?" Hayden asked.

"While Giratina is in the Distortion World, he would adapt his true form" Professor Carolina explained, "But when he's on Earth he took on an altered form."

"Why would this creature change its shape when coming to Earth?" Hayden asked.

"That's because of the antimatter in the Distortion World" Cynthia continued, "The antimatter kept Giratina in his original form, but there isn't enough antimatter in this world for him to have kept that form."

"I see" Hayden responded, with a sinister tone to his voice. Cynthia shifted in her seat, the way Hayden answered was quite unsettling. She was beginning to suspect Team Genetic's leader of having plans for the Distortion World. But without Giratina there, it was unclear as to what his motives were. Perhaps it was just because of their name that she was feeling uneasy and she tried to calm herself. Hayden leaned forward with another question that would send shivers down Cynthia's spine.

"Tell me, are there any passages into the Distortion World?"


	15. Ginchiyo

"I made great time getting here." Brock said as he arrived in the ruins of Violight.

The design of Violight was quite unique, with the streets and buildings resembling an electric circuit board. Despite it being thousands of years ahead of this technology, it was logical to Brock as the kingdom of Violight was known for being home of Electric type Pokémon.

At the centre of the ruins, where all the streets connected, was a massive temple with black and purple colors. It was extremely well preserved, more so then the crumbling huts and cracked roads around it. Instinctively, Brock knew that the Celestial stone of Uranus was in there.

The Pokémon doctor stepped through the threshold and entered the temple. The circuitry design of the city was the same here, as it line the walls of the temple. Inside were also damaged statues of Raikou facing the entrance of the temple, while hieroglyphs of Zapdos and Thundurus were on the walls with circuitry going around them. Seventy feet away from Brock was an altar with a pedestal built to resemble lightning. On the pedestal, was a spherical stone colored like Uranus (no pun intended).

Brock began walking towards the altar, ready to obtain the stone. Then within forty feet on the stone, he was stopped by a female voice that came from everywhere.

_Halt! who dares to enter Violight!_

Brock jumped back five feet. The voice seemed to come from everywhere. Despite this he was swinging his head around looking for the one who shouted out to him.

"Who said that? Who's there?" Brock asked frenetically.

"I did." The female voice said again. This time the echo to it was gone and it came from the altar. To Brock's enjoyment, it was a beautiful woman. She had short brown hair, was clad in gold and white armor, and was wearing a white and black cape. Her gold and white helmet did not conceal her beautiful face, and the fierce determination it bore did not halter Brock's instincts.

"I am Ginchiyo; warrior queen of Violight!" The woman addressed boldly.

"And I am Brock, veteran of the Platinum Wars" Brock said in a romantic voice, "In my battles I have seen many perils, but to see your gorgeous face, makes all the pain I feel in my heart go away. Oh Ginchiyo, fare and beautiful Ginchiyo, I-"

"Hold your tongue boy!" Ginchiyo shouted back at Brock, "I have been here for thousands of years, I saw the horrors of the Platinum Wars, a fool like you would have no place in battle!"

Brock did not feel upset by Ginchiyo's words, more humbled. She must have been a veteran of many wars, and for Brock to pride himself on saying he was a soldier would irritate her.

"What business do you have for being here?" Ginchiyo demanded.

"I've come here for the Celestial stone." Brock explained, "I need it to help a friend."

"If you wish to take the stone, then you must defeat me in a battle of magic creatures." Ginchiyo responded, "Three of yours against my one."

"That's fine by me." Brock said, "If you think you're that good."

"I am the best." Ginchiyo commented, "Come Luxray!"

From behind the altar, a Luxray charged forward. It crouched in front of Brock and growled, challenging his power.

"If you're going to use an Electric type, then I'll use this Pokémon!" Brock said as he unleashed his Onix from his PokéBall. Onix reared his body up and bellowed loudly.

"Onix is partially a Ground type, so your electric attacks will have no effect on him."

"Onix, use Iron Tail!" Brock commanded. Onix's tail began glowing and he swung it towards the electric cat. Like a flash of lightning, Luxray dodged the attack and pounced into the air.

"Use Tackle!" Ginchiyo ordered. Luxray lunged forward and slammed its skull into Onix's neck. Despite the Rock Snake Pokémon being well armored, Onix took substantial damage and was pushed back. Onix had excellent stamina though and he recovered quickly.

"Luxray is the ultimate warrior, defeat is inconceivable!" Ginchiyo boasted.

"All right then Onix, use Dragon Breath!" Brock commanded as he held his hand out.

Onix shot a blast of green flame like energy from its mouth. Once more Luxray dodged, this time by pouncing towards the left. Onix began moving his head and redirecting the Dragon Breath attack to follow the Luxray. The Gleam Eyes Pokémon ran to fast for Onix to keep up and soon was behind him.

"Use Discharge!" Ginchiyo commanded.

Blue bolts of electricity leapt from Luxray's body and struck Onix. To Brock's surprise, the electric attack seemed to be hurting Brock and to a great degree. Onix writhed in pain as Luxray continued to fire a barrage of these attacks at the massive Pokémon.

"Onix!" Brock shouted in terror. Finally, Luxray stopped the electric barrage and Onix collapsed to the ground.

"I have trained Luxray to use its electric power even on Ground creatures" Ginchiyo commented, "It is more powerful than any electric creature in the world."

Brock prepared to call Onix back, when the Pokémon slowly began lifting himself back up. The Rock Snake Pokémon reared his body back up and growled at Luxray.

"If you still want to fight, then I'm with you all the way." Brock said to his Pokémon.

"Your Onix has a warrior's spirit" Ginchiyo complimented, "Most admirable, but it is not destined to win."

"We'll just have to see about that" Brock said, "Onix, use Bind!"

Onix lunged forward and wrapped its massive body around the Luxray. He was sure to bind its forearms to its body as to have it completely immobilized. Ginchiyo was not taken aback by this, instead she seemed amused.

"An attack at pint blank." Ginchiyo commented, "Luxray use Discharge!"

"Not so fast" Brock warned, "Onix, use Rock Throw, using Luxray!"

Onix rapidly unfurled his body from around Luxray and pitched it towards the wall. Luxray struck the right wall with great force. It then fell back to the ground, barely able to stand. Ginchiyo began to panic, no opponent had ever been able to bring Luxray so close to defeat. To preserve her and Luxray's honor, she had to end this fight now.

"Luxray use Thunder!" Ginchiyo commanded. Luxray staggered to get back up, but once it did, electric sparks began surging around its body, signalling that it was generating power.

"Now Onix, use Iron Tail!" Brock commanded. Onix's tail began glowing with power and once again it swung its tail against Luxray. The blow sent Luxray flying against the right wall and this time it rendered Luxray unconscious.

"How could this happen?" Ginchiyo whispered in terror, "How could my invincible Luxray have lost?"

"I can't answer that" Brock commented as he walked towards the altar to claim the stone. The only thing stopping him was Ginchiyo, still standing before him.

"Then, my soul has been liberated" Ginchiyo said, "And so has Luxray's."

Ginchiyo waved her hand towards her unconscious Luxray and it vanished out of thin air. Slowly, Ginchiyo began disappearing herself. Brock was surprised to see this himself.

"What's happening?" Brock asked.

"You have defeated me, the stone is yours and I do not need to protect it." Ginchiyo explained, "Thus my soul can finally ascend."

Before she could completely fade away, she had one final thing to say to Brock as he watched her ascend.

"I hope you find love someday."


	16. Nothing I won't Give

Climbing. That was all that Red, Silver and Dawn had been doing long before the sun began to set as it was doing. An entire day of endless travel and there was still no sign of the kingdom of Dragnor. Placing hand and foot on small rock edges and pulling their body mass onward and upward.

Dawn was the most exhausted of all of them. She was at least ten feet behind the last two Pokédex Keepers. Red and Silver had grown more adapt to this kind of travel during their years of training. The young Priestess was used to taking to roads and trails for travelling, this was a form of torture to her body. Not even during her year spent in the ancient world did she have to do anything like this.

She placed both her hands on a ledge and stretched out her foot to land on a ledge below her, hoping to mirror the same climbing method that Red was using. Unfortunately, her legs were too short and she could not reach. She soon found herself kicking her legs around in a panic while trying to balance Piplup on her shoulders.

Piplup saw that she was in distress and called out to Red for assistance. Red could see that Dan was in trouble and began climbing back down to help her.

"Hang on Dawn" Red called out very reassuringly and calmly.

Red grabbed onto both of Dawn's wrists and pulled her up onto the ledge. She sat down to rest her weary arms and legs. Annoyed by their constant waiting, Silver slid down the mountain side until her grabbed onto a ledge that was seven feet above Red and Dawn, and placed his foot on a ledge below himself.

"We are wasting our time waiting for her" Silver suggested abrasively, "She should go back home and leave this to us."

_Oh yeah that's just what Red needs_ Piplup thought, which Dawn was translating, _Him and Silver alone with no witnesses._

Dawn was angry that Silver would talk as though she wasn't there, and sad that he thought so low of her despite knowing that she was a Guardian Priestess.

"And what will happen when she goes home?" Red asked rhetorically, "She'll be in one place, easy to be targeted by Mitsumi. Who's probably more than willing to burn Twinleaf down to get her."

"We will never make it to Dragnor, if we keep carrying dead weight" Silver responded.

"She has power that neither of us could ever conceive." Red explained.

"If she holds such great power, then why doesn't she use that power to make her climb easier." Silver spat back.

"Dawn sacrificed her voice to save us" Red argued, "In doing so, she threw away her future so we could have one. That is power like nothing we have ever seen."

"Speak for yourself" Silver commented coldly before turning his gaze to the mountain's peak, "We're close to the top, I will scout ahead."

Without waiting for approval from anyone, Silver continued his climb. Red watched Silver climb for a few seconds, before turning his gaze to Dawn. He didn't have to look at her expression to know she was in a gloomy mood, after what Silver had to say.

"We need him for his battle skills, not his good nature" Red commented, "Forget about what he thinks, you are still important to me."

Dawn was still depressed. Was it really worth it? Making her friends fight so hard, go through all this trouble, and become prey to Team Phantom just for her voice? It was not worth it. She took the life of her half-brother and it cost her own life. Perhaps losing her voice was the punishment she had to pay for the crime of killing a god, even a fallen god.

Red began to sense her emotions, not through his aura powers, but through his heart. He could feel that she was beginning to doubt their new adventure. He understood why she felt this way, but she had to know that this was not for nothing, and he knew of only one way to show it. The Pokémon Master kneeled before the priestess and began to sing.

_Haunted by the past  
A nightmare that seemed so unreal  
I wish that I could turn back time  
And spare the pain that we both feel  
And now we've changed  
Things will never be the same_

_We were foolish then  
But our trials served to make us strong  
The burdens are not yours alone  
We've sought the answers for so long  
But they're not free  
They cost you more than they cost me_

_I promise you, there is nothing I won't give  
To see this through  
Return the soul to where it lives  
I promise you, I'd go everywhere I've been  
To find a way to make atonement for my sin and see  
See your smiling face again_

_When we've paid the price at last  
And we are whole once more  
Life will be the way it was  
The way it was before the day  
She slipped away  
Together we'll redeem that day_

_And I promise you, there is nothing I won't give  
To see this through  
Return the soul to where it lives  
I promise you, I'd go everywhere I've been  
To find a way to make atonement for my sin and see  
See your smiling face_

_I promise you, there is nothing I won't give  
To see this through  
Return the soul to where it lives  
I promise you, I'd go everywhere I've been  
To find a way to make atonement for my sin and see  
See your smiling face again_

"I will bring your voice back to you, no matter what." Red reassured as his song ended.

Dawn was overcome by joy, knowing that Red was still ready to stand by her. The two Trainers from Twinleaf town found themselves moving their faces closer towards each other. They closed their eyes and shaped their lips for the occasion. Their moment was halted by Silver calling out to them.

"Red! I think you will want to see this!"

Red and Dawn were then snapped back to reality. They both turned to the top of the mountain, ready to climb. Red hunched forward as a show for Dawn and Piplup to climb onto his back. Without a second hesitation, they did as he offered and climbed on. The Pokémon Master began climbing to the top, the weight of the girl and the little Pokémon pushed on his shoulders, but not enough to stop him from climbing.

Finally Red reached the top of the mountain, and Dawn and Piplup climbed off. Silver simply pointed out across the mountain range, more specifically towards a gap in the range. In the gap, Red and Dawn could see the ruins of a once massive kingdom. The unique tower at the heart of the ruins gave the two a clue as to which kingdom it was.

"Is that?" Red started.

"Correct, it is Dragnor" Silver identified with allusive joy in his voice.

Dawn jumped into the air with excitement, knowing how close they were to the kingdom and thus the end of their harrowing voyage. Soon they would have the stone, she would have her voice back and their quest would finally be over. Red put his arm around Dawn's shoulder and gently pulled her close to himself.

"That's right Dawn, it looks like the worst is finally behind us." Red commented.


	17. The Orb's Return

Neera stood by the window of her office, looking out at the vast span of endless sea. With everything that she was planning, she decided that it would be best to get a look at this view while it still lasted. It was tragic to her that something so beautiful would be destroyed, but if her plans were to succeed, it would be necessary.

Her silence was cut short very abruptly, when a Hood walked into her office. When she turned to face him, he kneeled before her as though she was a queen. To Team Phantom, she was a queen, her powers were a sign from heaven of her divine right to rule.

"My queen, we have found Darkrai" The Hood explained.

"Excellent, where is he now?" Neera asked as she walked up to him.

"In the medical wing, my queen" The Hood answered, "He is in a coma due to his injuries."

"It is for the best, awake he could be dangerous to us." Neera theorized, "Keep him comatose until the first wave is completed, You're dismissed."

"Yes my queen" The Hood answered. He got back to his feet and walked out of her office, happy to still be alive.

Shortly after he departed, Mitsumi entered Neera's office. She had no need to bow though as she was first lieutenant of Team Phantom. Although she failed to retrieve the Guardian Priestess, she had other news that would make amends for it.

"My queen, our unit has recovered the 'item' from the Pokémon Rangers." Mitsumi explained.

Neera suddenly turned to face Mitsumi with a very abrupt turn of her body. This was news that she had been waiting to hear for a long time. This was far more important than obtaining the Guardian Priestess. It meant her plan was going as she wanted it to be.

"Show me" Neera said intensely.

Mitsumi lead Neera to the cargo bay of their base. They continued on for a distance, past several walls of shelves and boxes before Mitsumi stopped their leader, in front of a ten foot cubic steel crate with a digital combination lock. The box was guarded by Jessie, James and Meowth. The three were slouching out of boredom before they saw Neera and straightened back up.

"Open it" Neera commanded.

"The content is highly volatile, it already killed five of our men who just touched it" Mitsumi started to warn.

"Now!" Neera ordered even louder. Mitsumi was clearly reluctant to oblige, but she was given an order by her queen and had no choice.

"Do as your queen has commanded." Mitsumi ordered the trio.

"Yes ma'am." Jessie obliged, "James open it."

"All right"

James turned to face the digital lock. He punched in the code; 1, 2, 3, and the crate's only door unlocked. Meowth grabbed onto the handle and pulled it open. A very exhausting effort as the door was two foot thick steel. After a few seconds of painful struggling, the door opened to reveal the item retrieved from the Pokémon Rangers; The Griseous Orb.

"Excellent" Neera said as she stepped towards the orb.

She dared not place her hands on it and suffer the same fate as those fools who touched it. She wanted its power and there was only one way she could do that. She turned to face the trio who were standing together.

"I have a task for you three" Neera commanded, "Scour every Team Galactic base there is and find the last remnants of the Red Chain."

"Yes my queen." The trio said in unison with the same terrified voice. They were then off like a flash of lightning.

"What am I to do, my queen?" Mitsumi asked.

"I will assign you a task when the moment is right." Neera answered before turning to the Griseous Orb again, "Soon, the chaos will rule this world, and the power of the void will be mine."

Satisfied with the progress of her plan, Neera departed the cargo bay. Mitsumi was left alone, with the Griseous Orb.

Her ferocity in battle was a mask to conceal an inner conflict. A battle between following her instincts or her code of honor. Her honor was the only thing she had left, but it meant her life was miserable. She could never bring herself to look at her face in the mirror, she couldn't stand what she was in it. She knew what was Neera's true plan, and still went along with it. And by obtaining the Griseous Orb, she condemned the fate of Earth and the humans and Pokémon who call it home.

"What have I done."


End file.
